I was scrolling through Facebook this morning when I came across a plea from my friend Scott Barker, the Bishop of Nebraska. He was writing a sermon for an ordination and asked the world what he should say, what was important for a new priest to know??
He got some great responses. Kindness was a favorite. Taking care of oneself, which is always a challenge. A common theme was humility: listening, not taking yourself too seriously, developing community and full parish leadership. Of course prayer was mentioned and cultivating a certain level of detachment, so that it is about God and not anything else. All of these things were lovely and appropriate, and if I know Scott, it will be a great sermon.
And it got me thinking. I was wondering about how we encourage each other in general. What do we say to the person in the pew who gets up every morning and takes on incredible feats of ministry—taking care of aging parents, keeping their integrity in a toxic work environment, driving to work in the midst of snow driven road rage, putting one foot in front of the other in a world that is harder and harder to navigate.
This past weekend members of our congregation joined the Episcopal church, being confirmed or received. They made promises about living out their Christian life, which they know will be hard to keep. They agreed to do that amid a community of caring support and with God’s help. It is a big deal and I admire them, and anyone who makes those promises, so much.
I want to say to you, to you who live a good and faithful life, who think about how to bring Jesus into the world, who work hard to love the unlovable and do justice—I want to say to you, I notice your ministry, I appreciate your hard work. As a priest, I could not be a minister without you.
I want to say thank you for accepting your vocation, for understanding that your life matters. Your. Life. Matters. We all need to believe that and live it. From our hearts. We are in this ministry thing together with all of our gifts and challenges. Thank God for that!!