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O Lord, my God, let all that we speak and all that we hear be filtered through your heart; let your love be a seal upon our hearts, that in this prism we might see Jesus and all his works, and ourselves as his belovèd. Amen. When Bill and I met several months ago, it was clearly a case of the seasoned player and the rookie. And I had to be honest with Bill, and tell him that I’d never done one of these interviews with an incoming potential Rector before. What should I want to know? And was gracious and gave me some leads that I able to use the next time; and he even suggested as we drove for lunch, that I might want more comfort in my car, with all the bone-shaking miles I will be doing. I can tell you that at least my skeleton is holding up. But what should I want to know? Gradually, the ‘should’ is becoming what I do want to know. What do I want to know about this man whom you have now called as your Rector? I’m sure that much of what I now want to know is what you already as a congregation do know. Is this someone who presents his body as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God? Is this someone constantly open to the renewal of his mind according to his growing understanding of God’s Word and Will and Purpose, fostered by his own study and prayer, but also by his fellowship with you, his new community? Is this someone who loves without hypocrisy or partiality? Is this someone who knows the strengths of his own giftedness and its limitations, who knows when he must end another in the community of faith must begin or even take lead? Is this someone of a fervent spirit in serving the Lord? Is this someone who is cheerful, generous, devoted to prayer? Does he bless when you persecute him, being at all possibly at peace with everyone? Does he weep when you weep and rejoice when you rejoice? Does he hope only for the good for you all? Is there a humility not only in his demeanor, but which you find also in his associations? Does he outdo you all in honoring each other? Does he get the first honoring in, in the respecting and appreciating business? Now, I wonder what an interview like that would be at Mills House. Of course, he wouldn’t have to be the one answering; someone else would have to be there for him. It’s taken me a while to find these right questions, that are offered to us this day in Romans 12. I would add from John 15, does he know that without Christ he can do nothing? And does he know how to call his followers of Christ his friends and not his servants? And does he know that while he is responsible to fulfill such expectations that are upon him as Rector as God’s grace allows? That the same characteristics are expected and assumed for all of God’s children in this place? That all of us need to hear those questions and have them asked of us. For what we celebrate today in this new ministry of a new ministry in a community of faith today – a community that has faithfully served Christ and one another in love through changes of Rectors and even through changes in parochial configurations. For you who were two have become one and a mightier force because of it. And you promised yourselves that you’d spawn a new mission as an offspring of your new unity, and perhaps under your new Rector, his might re-enter our sights.. Others have heard me preach at the other two commendation or induction services I’ve done this month of October. I was asked earlier on by one of you if I would write something. And she asked me some questions. She said, “Have you ever done an induction before?” I said, “Not yet. But by the time I get to Bill I’ll be an old hand.” And the truth is I struggle with the liturgy we are working through tonight. Possibly because it focuses on one person. The Litany of Ordination might better be better replaced by a Litany of Ministry perhaps: the giving of gifts which we shall experience might better be the sharing of gifts with what you all already do in our ministries. “Bill, we use these oils to share Christ’s healing ministry. Take your portion and come and minister with us if God so calls.” The discretionary fund for this service should possibly be kept aside as a “dip in” pool of financial resources not for Bill, but for everyone to use to increase to increase their and their mission vision. I know of a congregation where the Rector gave away her discretionary fund; gave $10 to every person in the congregation, whatever age. Ten dollars is a lot to a seven-year-old. They came back to church. But when they came back to church they found themselves being asked, “Well, what did God do with your ten dollars?” One of the young children gave it to a homeless person. I struggle because I didn’t think of all this about new ministries sooner. But perhaps it’s in the doing of the tradition that we might want to reshape what we do for the future. For I know Bill’s instincts follow along the lines of which I speak. The goal of new ministry is the goal of Christ’s freedom; Christ’s freedom to release the gifts that are among us. Gifts that we know about, gifts that we even dare think about, gifts that the Spirit, Christ’s Spirit, will bring. Freedom of the Spirit to fall not only on the 70 that are outside the camp with Moses, but also those that might make themselves available even within the camp; and whosoever the Spirit might choose. And for this freedom to be complete, there needs to be openness to Christ – both to prune us back, to create for us an ever greater force for the ministry that is ahead. So I invite you on a day like this, not only to think of the wonderful things that Bill will do, but to give space for each other and see your life together as a mutual experience. Sometimes we need to step back to let others bloom. Sometimes we can say this I do well. This God does well with me and through me. This I will stay with. But let me enjoy calling forth the giftedness of someone else for the other things I’m to tempted to embrace in my eagerness and willingness to be available. Often we don’t know, when we’re the first ones putting our hands up because we’re going to volunteer, we don’t know that if we’d just kept our hands down, God might move in another heart. Mutual ministry frees us to find our finest offerings. It is an intentional act. It is modeled first and foremost by your clergy, the ones with the collar on, on special occasions; upon whom we’re tempted to place all our burdens and expectations. And so, Bill, I ask you to find out, if you don’t already know, what specifics Christ wants to reveal through you here; some of the strengths that you have are those strengths that you first must give away. But there will be other strengths, for you are growing strengths which will come to play in this place. Take time to find out what they are and then work then work diligently to call the congregation to a similar awareness for themselves. Don’t assume you know who can do what. Let the Spirit bring that to a certain communal discernment. The let the many surprises of God’s future happen that way. Keep your honoring of others most prominent in your spiritual arsenal. And know that God has the ways and means to fulfill all the collective dreams of his family here. And to all of you I ask on this occasion, to search your specific callings and offer yourselves to it. Search not as individuals, but in collaboration with each other. Let each other say what it is you’re good at, rather than being ready to just volunteer it yourself. Ask each other what the call might be and commit yourselves today to that particularity in ministry that you share with Bill. And, finally,
think not only of yourselves. Do not here in this wonderful place, be for
yourselves, to be the largest, most powerful, most influential congregation in
the Diocese of Iowa. It’s an
exciting step that has been taken today. I invite you to embrace Bill and Arlena
with all the love you can muster, to give them the space they need to be people
that are useful and energetic and truly leaders among you. And then come around
them, build on them, and offer yourselves to them and to one another and your
whole selves as a community to God. If you do this, none of this in this room
can know what the Spirit will do from now on. Amen. |
