THE CROSS FILES – MR. KNEES

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

The X Files is a classic television series, which is about two FBI agents, Mulder and Scully. This team of agents is assigned all the strange and unexplainable cases by their superiors. These files are called the X Files because they are hard to solve by typical means and involve supernatural influences at times. I developed the following homily using the X File premise, but decided to call it the Cross Files since it has a Christian theme. So sit back, put on your thinking cap, and see if you can solve the mystery before the end of the homily.

 

Mulder’s phone rang loudly and woke him from his deep sleep.

He fumbled around the top of his nightstand knocking off various items until he found the phone.

He lifted the receiver to his ear.

 

“Hello?” Mulder mumbles meagerly.

 

“You awake, Mulder?” Scully queried.

 

“I am now.” Mulder replied.

 

Mulder forced his droopy eyes open and glanced over at the digital clock.

It was 5:00am.

 

“We’ve been assigned a case in upstate New York!” Scully exclaimed.

 

“So why call me so early in the morning?” Mulder complained.

 

“I was already up. Just thought we’d get an early start.” Scully replied.

 

“Meet me at the coffee shop?” Scully asked

 

“Okay, Okay, let me get dressed. See you in 15 minutes.” Mulder grumbled.

 

Mulder gets dressed and meets Scully. After a few cups of Java they get in Mulder’s car and proceed to the mid-size town of Oaksburg, New York.

On the way they discuss the case.

 

“So what’s up with this one?” Mulder inquired.

 

“It appears some strange things have been happening in Oaksburg.” Scully replied.

 

“Like what?” Mulder asks with an inquisitive look on his face.

 

“Well no one should complain actually, but… the hospital is almost devoid of patients and the crime rate seems to have dropped to practically nothing.”

 

“So what’s the problem? The worst is a few doctors and detectives are out of work!” Mulder replied sarcastically.

 

“It appears that this type of situation has begun to occur in several towns on the east coast and the authorities are curious as to what is causing it. Only certain towns show evidence of the phenomena.” Scully replied.

 

“Nice problem to have. Anything else happening out of the ordinary?”

 

“Well it appears that church attendance in these particular towns has doubled in conjunction with the other strange occurrences. While hospitals and jails are emptying, churches are filling up. It’s as if these towns are cleaning up their acts and experiencing both religious revival and blessings of health and reduced crime.” Scully answers.

 

“So maybe these churchgoers are cleaning up their own towns.” Mulder replies.

 

“No, it appears that all these things are happening at once, as if people are motivated by some outside force. There seems to be a pattern though. It appears to have started in the lower part of the State of Maine and is following the major highways down through New York. It’s as if someone or something is traveling through the eastern seaboard and influencing the morals of individuals as well as causing mass healings of sickness and disease.”

 

“Do you think we could find this person or persons and send them to Washington, D.C.?” Mulder jokingly replies.

 

“Yeah right. We have the address of a young boy who claims to have run into a suspicious character. The boy thinks this man might have some connection to the changes in his town.” answers Scully.

 

Scully and Mulder pull up to the house of the young boy who claims to have information. Mulder knocks on the door. A young mother answers.

 

“Good morning, I’m Agent Mulder and this is Agent Scully. We’re with the FBI and have been told that your son might have some information that could help in an investigation.”

 

“Yes. Johnny told me about a man he met when he was delivering newspapers on his route. Let me get him. Why don’t you come in and have a seat?” replies the mother.

 

The mother calls her son and he comes bounding down from an upstairs bedroom.

 

“Johnny, these people are with the FBI and would like to ask you some questions.”

 

“Oh yea, Mr. Knees.” the boy replies.

 

“Mr. Knees?” Mulder replies with a puzzled look on his face.

 

“Yea, Mr. Knees. I call him Mr. Knees because of how funny his knees look.”

 

“Tell us about Mr. Knees.” Scully replies.

 

“Well this man, lives in the back room of Mr. and Mrs. Parton’s storage shed. I asked Mrs. Parton about him and she said he came into town last week a few days before all the changes started happening. She said that they let him stay in the room to help him out. Anyway, I was delivering newspapers early one morning and I noticed a light on in the back room of the Parton’s shed. I went over and peeked in the window and there he was. He was on his knees in front of a table with his head looking down at a book, but his eyes were closed. I tried getting a better look and knocked over a planter. The noise caused the man to look up. I got scared and ran off, but not before I saw the man’s knees. They were all calloused and thick with skin. If you ask me it was kinda gross.”

 

“Is there anything else you can tell us about this man, Mr. Knees?” Mulder asked.

 

“Well I told Mr. and Mrs. Parton about what I did and we all went out to talk with him but he was gone.” replied the boy.

 

The boy continued, “I found a piece of paper near the box where Mr. Knees was kneeling. It has some funny words and numbers on it.”

 

The boy pulls out a brown crumpled piece of paper and hands it to Mulder. Mulder unfolds the piece of well-worn paper and looks at the writing scribbled on it.

 

“What does it say?” Scully asks curiously.

 

“I Thessalonians 5:17.” Mulder replies.

 

“Isn’t that a scripture verse?” Scully responds.

 

“Yes, I think so. Excuse me madam, but do you have a Bible in the house.” Mulder asks the mother.

 

“Yes, we do.”

 

The mother hands Mulder a large black Bible. Mulder finds I Thessalonians and quickly flips the pages. He finds the scripture reference and whispers the words under his breath.

 

“Well what does it say.” the mother and Scully ask in unison.

 

“Pray without ceasing.” Mulder replies.