Reformation (and St. John's Farewell sermon)
I
don’t know if it’s appropriate or ironic that we conclude our ministry
partnership on Reformation Sunday. After all,
Reformation Sunday is a
celebration of the historic events that have led to our present faith
commitments. It’s a day of looking back at the story that gave us birth;
the story that shapes our life together, and gives us hope when the
future is uncertain.
It’s a faith that helps us understand the awful events in Ottawa last Wednesday as the result of sinful actions in a broken world. It helps us to understand that the world needs a saviour. It helps us understand that life can be hard, tragic, infuriating, as much as it can be beautiful and hopeful. And it helps us to try to understand human events through the lens of God’s story of bringing life from death.
We know that we live in a broken and sin-stained world, where people do terrible things. But we also know that God’s vision of redemption and salvation is a promise that helps us believe in a better tomorrow, where that tomorrow reaches back and touches us when people do wonderfully loving and caring things. It’s a faith that reminds us that the world needs healing, and God - in Jesus - is doing that healing through people like you and me.
The doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone - the heartbeat of Reformation living - points us to the past so we can look to our present and into the future. The Reformation was a liberation from oppressive authority to a faith which reclaimed its freedom. And as we soon learned, freedom requires hopefulness. Energy. Initiative. And risk.
You took a risk in the spring of 2012 when you agreed to receive this city boy living in Japan to be your interim pastor sight unseen. On the up side, you didn’t have to go through a call process to get another pastor after Pastor Erik left, but you also didn’t know what you were getting yourselves into when you agreed to receive me to minister with and among you.
And I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect from you, either. My first parish was in rural Ontario, just south of Ottawa, but I lived in the town, and was only there for a year. I’ve spent the overwhelming majority of my life living in cities, small and cosmopolitan.
So, living out here in Golden Spike has been an education, one that I wasn’t sure that I was prepared for. To state the obvious, rural living is markedly different from living in the city.
So is ministry. Ministry here is quite different from the other parishes I’ve served. There’s a strong emphasis on visitation here at St. John’s. More so than at any other congregation at which I’ve been pastor. And that’s been refreshing. It showed me that you value relationships more than programs, and human connections more than the nuts and bolts of running a church.
People have been asking me if I feel like I’ve done all that I can do here, that if after my two years and three months with you, my ministry has run its course, and it’s time to hand it over to someone else.
To that I can only answer, NO! In so many ways it feels like things are just revving up; that we’re at the starting line waiting for the firing gun. And that’s because the church’s mission is never finished. We are always reforming, always changing, always looking for new ways to serve, new ways to express and live what we believe, new ways to share good news, new ways to shine God’s light in a so often dark world. The Reformation continues.
When I look back at our ministry together, I can see that it has borne much fruit. I’m proud of the work that we’ve done together, and I hope you are too. We’ve accomplished much during our time with each other.
And I think that was because you laid the groundwork. It was the warm and loving welcome you offered me when I arrived that gave me the confidence to know I could work well with you. When I landed here in Golden Spike, I came as a thoroughly broken person. Having just lost my family to divorce, then hoping to start over in Japan, which turned out to be a disaster, an experience from which I’m still recovering financially and emotionally, I came here hoping to nurse my wounds, to finally recover from a very difficult previous half-decade.
And I HAVE been renewed by my ministry with and among you. I’ve been refreshed by your faithfulness, I have been humbled by your commitment to your church, I have been rejuvenated by your love, and restored by your hopefulness. You have done a remarkable healing work on me. And for that, you will always have my gratitude.
Also, I have learned a lot about ministry from being with you. Especially when working with St. John’s exceptional church council. I’ve said this before and I’ve meant it every time, St. John’s has one of the best church councils I have ever worked with. The wise, reasonable, and thoughtful decision-making that church council has engaged in has been a gift to me while being your pastor, and has left me energized about the future of this congregation.
This is especially true of the leadership of church council chairperson Claude Ritter. I’ve said to him a few times that he is among the best council chairpersons I’ve worked with. I’ve told him this NOT just because I wanted to make sure that I got my annual raise, but also because it’s true. St. John’s is a complex family system, and Claude navigates this system masterfully. He’s been a delight to watch and a joy to work with.
And you, this congregation as a whole, have taught me the power of community. As a lefty city boy arriving here with Ontario plates, I’ve learned from you not just to talk about community, but I’ve had the opportunity to see how it’s actually lived. As Gordon Drever once noted to me, “Some people talk about community, these people ARE a community.”
And he’s right. Community is one of your deepest, and most cherished values. The care you have for each other is evident in all that you do. Even when you disagree, HOW you disagree - it’s clear that your commitment to the community - to each other - remains untouched.
The power of community, the healing care you’ve shown me, the wisdom demonstrated in your leadership, the faithful commitment to Christ and church, these are the gifts you have given me as I’ve ministered with and among you.
The future that God is putting in front of you is uncertain. But I know that it is a future overflowing with possibility. The ministry opportunities born from the partnerships among the Parkland Area Lutheran Network, skillfully led by Bob Schoepp, can enhance common mission while keeping costs down.
And more so, the Parkland Area Lutheran Network can help all our churches remember that we are not alone in this journey, but that we can call upon the help of our sisters and brothers from other churches to work together to face common challenges. Outreach to the community can increase as this partnership grows together to meet the ministry needs of the Parkland area. The Parkland Area Lutheran Network is a partnership that can help all our churches grow and thrive, as - together - we seek to serve those in our direct community.
That’s the power of Lutheran Christianity; we have the freedom to re-imagine ministry where we are. We don’t have anything imposed on us. We don’t answer to the bishop, the bishop answers to us. We can discern God’s direction and purpose individually and collectively, according to the insight God has given us. And with this freedom comes the opportunity for creativity, to cast a vision that is unique to this place, with the gifts and talents each one of you has been given.
And as I said earlier, with freedom comes risk. So I like what Bp. Larry has said to the churches, “Don’t be afraid to fail.”
In other words, don’t be afraid to take risks. Don’t be afraid to be creative. Don’t be afraid of innovation. Don’t be afraid to seek out ministry opportunities that may have been previously unheard of. Don’t be afraid to fall face first in the dirt, because you WILL get up again.
Be bold! Take risks! Trust in God but also trust in yourselves! God has given you more than you can ask or imagine!
During the transition between pastors take some time to discern who you want to be, what you want to look like in the coming years and decades, how you can serve the ministry needs of those around you. Listen to your life together. Listen to the Spirit working within and among you. Listen to the community that needs what you have to offer.
This is a Reformation time for you. This is a time for imagination and re-imagination. This is a time for risk. This is a time for reinvention. This is a time to take the learning of the past, and point it toward the future - God’s future for you.
Our time together has been short - but fruitful. And it is my hope and prayer that you will continue along the path of community and care, healing and wisdom, to create - through the power of God’s Spirit - the future that shines God’s light of salvation to hurting world often lost in darkness.
You have everything you need to meet the future. You have the faithfulness and freedom to meet your challenges. You have the resources and the commitment to greet the opportunities to impact the community. You have the vision and insight to see the vast possibilities to serve each other, and the world God loves.
So, as I depart, it is as one filled with overwhelming gratitude for your ministry to me, and as one who expects to see God do great things through you.
May this be so among us! Amen!
It’s a faith that helps us understand the awful events in Ottawa last Wednesday as the result of sinful actions in a broken world. It helps us to understand that the world needs a saviour. It helps us understand that life can be hard, tragic, infuriating, as much as it can be beautiful and hopeful. And it helps us to try to understand human events through the lens of God’s story of bringing life from death.
We know that we live in a broken and sin-stained world, where people do terrible things. But we also know that God’s vision of redemption and salvation is a promise that helps us believe in a better tomorrow, where that tomorrow reaches back and touches us when people do wonderfully loving and caring things. It’s a faith that reminds us that the world needs healing, and God - in Jesus - is doing that healing through people like you and me.
The doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone - the heartbeat of Reformation living - points us to the past so we can look to our present and into the future. The Reformation was a liberation from oppressive authority to a faith which reclaimed its freedom. And as we soon learned, freedom requires hopefulness. Energy. Initiative. And risk.
You took a risk in the spring of 2012 when you agreed to receive this city boy living in Japan to be your interim pastor sight unseen. On the up side, you didn’t have to go through a call process to get another pastor after Pastor Erik left, but you also didn’t know what you were getting yourselves into when you agreed to receive me to minister with and among you.
And I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect from you, either. My first parish was in rural Ontario, just south of Ottawa, but I lived in the town, and was only there for a year. I’ve spent the overwhelming majority of my life living in cities, small and cosmopolitan.
So, living out here in Golden Spike has been an education, one that I wasn’t sure that I was prepared for. To state the obvious, rural living is markedly different from living in the city.
So is ministry. Ministry here is quite different from the other parishes I’ve served. There’s a strong emphasis on visitation here at St. John’s. More so than at any other congregation at which I’ve been pastor. And that’s been refreshing. It showed me that you value relationships more than programs, and human connections more than the nuts and bolts of running a church.
People have been asking me if I feel like I’ve done all that I can do here, that if after my two years and three months with you, my ministry has run its course, and it’s time to hand it over to someone else.
To that I can only answer, NO! In so many ways it feels like things are just revving up; that we’re at the starting line waiting for the firing gun. And that’s because the church’s mission is never finished. We are always reforming, always changing, always looking for new ways to serve, new ways to express and live what we believe, new ways to share good news, new ways to shine God’s light in a so often dark world. The Reformation continues.
When I look back at our ministry together, I can see that it has borne much fruit. I’m proud of the work that we’ve done together, and I hope you are too. We’ve accomplished much during our time with each other.
And I think that was because you laid the groundwork. It was the warm and loving welcome you offered me when I arrived that gave me the confidence to know I could work well with you. When I landed here in Golden Spike, I came as a thoroughly broken person. Having just lost my family to divorce, then hoping to start over in Japan, which turned out to be a disaster, an experience from which I’m still recovering financially and emotionally, I came here hoping to nurse my wounds, to finally recover from a very difficult previous half-decade.
And I HAVE been renewed by my ministry with and among you. I’ve been refreshed by your faithfulness, I have been humbled by your commitment to your church, I have been rejuvenated by your love, and restored by your hopefulness. You have done a remarkable healing work on me. And for that, you will always have my gratitude.
Also, I have learned a lot about ministry from being with you. Especially when working with St. John’s exceptional church council. I’ve said this before and I’ve meant it every time, St. John’s has one of the best church councils I have ever worked with. The wise, reasonable, and thoughtful decision-making that church council has engaged in has been a gift to me while being your pastor, and has left me energized about the future of this congregation.
This is especially true of the leadership of church council chairperson Claude Ritter. I’ve said to him a few times that he is among the best council chairpersons I’ve worked with. I’ve told him this NOT just because I wanted to make sure that I got my annual raise, but also because it’s true. St. John’s is a complex family system, and Claude navigates this system masterfully. He’s been a delight to watch and a joy to work with.
And you, this congregation as a whole, have taught me the power of community. As a lefty city boy arriving here with Ontario plates, I’ve learned from you not just to talk about community, but I’ve had the opportunity to see how it’s actually lived. As Gordon Drever once noted to me, “Some people talk about community, these people ARE a community.”
And he’s right. Community is one of your deepest, and most cherished values. The care you have for each other is evident in all that you do. Even when you disagree, HOW you disagree - it’s clear that your commitment to the community - to each other - remains untouched.
The power of community, the healing care you’ve shown me, the wisdom demonstrated in your leadership, the faithful commitment to Christ and church, these are the gifts you have given me as I’ve ministered with and among you.
The future that God is putting in front of you is uncertain. But I know that it is a future overflowing with possibility. The ministry opportunities born from the partnerships among the Parkland Area Lutheran Network, skillfully led by Bob Schoepp, can enhance common mission while keeping costs down.
And more so, the Parkland Area Lutheran Network can help all our churches remember that we are not alone in this journey, but that we can call upon the help of our sisters and brothers from other churches to work together to face common challenges. Outreach to the community can increase as this partnership grows together to meet the ministry needs of the Parkland area. The Parkland Area Lutheran Network is a partnership that can help all our churches grow and thrive, as - together - we seek to serve those in our direct community.
That’s the power of Lutheran Christianity; we have the freedom to re-imagine ministry where we are. We don’t have anything imposed on us. We don’t answer to the bishop, the bishop answers to us. We can discern God’s direction and purpose individually and collectively, according to the insight God has given us. And with this freedom comes the opportunity for creativity, to cast a vision that is unique to this place, with the gifts and talents each one of you has been given.
And as I said earlier, with freedom comes risk. So I like what Bp. Larry has said to the churches, “Don’t be afraid to fail.”
In other words, don’t be afraid to take risks. Don’t be afraid to be creative. Don’t be afraid of innovation. Don’t be afraid to seek out ministry opportunities that may have been previously unheard of. Don’t be afraid to fall face first in the dirt, because you WILL get up again.
Be bold! Take risks! Trust in God but also trust in yourselves! God has given you more than you can ask or imagine!
During the transition between pastors take some time to discern who you want to be, what you want to look like in the coming years and decades, how you can serve the ministry needs of those around you. Listen to your life together. Listen to the Spirit working within and among you. Listen to the community that needs what you have to offer.
This is a Reformation time for you. This is a time for imagination and re-imagination. This is a time for risk. This is a time for reinvention. This is a time to take the learning of the past, and point it toward the future - God’s future for you.
Our time together has been short - but fruitful. And it is my hope and prayer that you will continue along the path of community and care, healing and wisdom, to create - through the power of God’s Spirit - the future that shines God’s light of salvation to hurting world often lost in darkness.
You have everything you need to meet the future. You have the faithfulness and freedom to meet your challenges. You have the resources and the commitment to greet the opportunities to impact the community. You have the vision and insight to see the vast possibilities to serve each other, and the world God loves.
So, as I depart, it is as one filled with overwhelming gratitude for your ministry to me, and as one who expects to see God do great things through you.
May this be so among us! Amen!
posted by Unknown at 12:14 PM
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