So, our Lenten journey began last night with our Ash Wednesday service. I am always amazed how God uses the simple elements of life to work in extraordinary ways. Water, bread and wine come from the earth, they are not manufactured and yet God transforms these into vehicles of God's graces in order to transform us, humans. "What are mortals, that you care for them?" (Psalm 8) God takes parts of the earth, sanctifies them and in turn sanctifies Adam (humanity...dirt from the ground).
Last night, God used more common elements, ashes, to transform us. I looked out at twenty five or so dear people in the congregation, all with a blackened, gritty cross etched into their forheads as we uttered the words from Psalm 51, "Create in me a clean heart, O God..." and felt like I would be lifted off my feet in that pulpit. Clean me out, Holy Spirit, for I am undone. I get in the way of myself and I get in the way of others with my sinfulness. Let these ashes remind me that I came from dust and that I'll return to dust one day. Challenge me to confession daily so that You may heap grace upon grace on me for this journey and to truly be your disciple.
Now the path will intersect at Holy Baptism Road. I'm gonna hold this little, helpless baby in my arms and water will be poured over his head and we're all going to look down at his face and see our own faces. We'll see even our helplessness as we are held in God's strong arms. As God continues to pour God's grace upon our heads day by day. Can we really live life as though it depended on God? I want to.
I want to get out of old patterns. While God wants me to use the wisdom given us, I'm sure God wants to be the guiding Spirit in my decisions.
"Jesus answered, 'I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it's not possible to enter God's kingdom...You must be born anew. God's Spirit blows wherever it wishes..." (John 3)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Monday, August 30, 2010
First one...here we go!
During my final evaluation in CPE, I was told that I should start a blog. I have never followed anyone's blog nor have I had even a flutter of an interest in starting one. I probably would be keener to the idea of testing parachutes than starting a blog. Well, I figured I needed some sort of outlet for self-reflection and maybe even to give some more folks out in cyberspace a laugh. I've seen enough people berated online for choosing to allow others to feast upon their vulnerability via the internet. I, for one, did not want that to be me. However, a small part of me feels it may be better for me than for anyone else. If no one chooses to follow this blog, I wouldn't be the wiser and probably wouldn't care too much. This is not my attempt to change the world with my words but it is an attempt to perhaps allow God to change me through a different venue. So, here we are.
I'm a new pastor serving two smaller rural congregations and I'm loving it. After believing that teaching school was my calling in life for so long, I felt I hit a brick wall in my journey. I began seminary and found that pastoral ministry was indeed the path of choice. Now I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. I was appointed this past spring and now that I've been serving for about two months, I feel a "rightness" to it all. Each church has personality and I'm in search for what paths each will take. They are both very unique and I see that each of the congregations is helping me to etch my place out in the grand scheme of things in different ways. I don't feel like I lean one way or the other in relations with the two churches. I was afraid of this at first. Would I be drawn to the larger church? Or will I find myself more at home in the smaller church because it reminds me of previous churches I have attended?
Each one does present equal challenges. I am a hired hand for the Great Shepherd so I am not the one who decides what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. I have to listen to the Spirit and pray that God gives me strength to help his children along (including myself) in the journey with love and grace.
It's all stretching from here on out. God has called and I did answer. Now it's time to face the road wherever it takes me.
I'm a new pastor serving two smaller rural congregations and I'm loving it. After believing that teaching school was my calling in life for so long, I felt I hit a brick wall in my journey. I began seminary and found that pastoral ministry was indeed the path of choice. Now I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. I was appointed this past spring and now that I've been serving for about two months, I feel a "rightness" to it all. Each church has personality and I'm in search for what paths each will take. They are both very unique and I see that each of the congregations is helping me to etch my place out in the grand scheme of things in different ways. I don't feel like I lean one way or the other in relations with the two churches. I was afraid of this at first. Would I be drawn to the larger church? Or will I find myself more at home in the smaller church because it reminds me of previous churches I have attended?
Each one does present equal challenges. I am a hired hand for the Great Shepherd so I am not the one who decides what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. I have to listen to the Spirit and pray that God gives me strength to help his children along (including myself) in the journey with love and grace.
It's all stretching from here on out. God has called and I did answer. Now it's time to face the road wherever it takes me.
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