An amazing weekend; not at all what I expected, or hoped for. It was the weekend of the annual meeting of our church's Conference - the larger-than-provincial judicatory. I went with Beatrix mostly because we were going straight to vacation afterward. Otherwise I would stayed home. So I had planned to spend most of my time outside the meetings, reading a book. I was looking forward to this uninterrupted time. To be polite, I attended the first gathering of table groups. It turned out that there were two or three people I knew at the table. Before I knew it, I became engaged in some of the discussions - mostly about budget crises and staffing cuts. From being engaged, I became involved, and before I knew it, my reading time was gone! At first I was annoyed at this, but gradually I came to see some of the positives in this turn of events.
Because I live most of my life in the milieu of profound conservatism, theologically speaking, I have become chronically angry at my theological surroundings. Most of what I write for the papers is against the fundamentalist mindset. I get 'bent out of shape,' theologically speaking. At our Conference meeting, I began to realize that I was suddenly at home in the midst of a less conservative, more open and joyful faith, a view on the world that is liberal, if not radical, in its orientation. I discovered that I was being fed just by the milieu, by the perspective on the world that my denomination takes. Before too long, I was not missing my novel, I was involved and contributing to the discussion and decision-making! It became quite wonderful. I didn't even spend much time in the display room. I bought only two books. I ordered a summer stole for worship; I purchased a design for another tattoo.
When the four candidates for ordination or commissioning were introduced and told us a bit about their personal pilgrimages, I was quite moved, and catapulted back into my own youthful enthusiasm for the faith and for ministry. As Wesley said many centuries ago, my heart was 'strangely warmed' by the experience. All of this came together on Sunday morning, at the Celebration of Ministry service. During this worship time, retiring ministers were recognized and honoured, departing staff members were bid farewell, and four people were set apart for ministry. All of this was happening on Sunday, June third. It struck me partway through worship that this was the exact same date on which I was ordained to ministry fifty-three years ago! I was quite overcome with this realisation, swamped by profound feelings. brought to tears as I watched these (relatively) young people taking the same step I had taken so very long ago. Memories of my early days in ministry came up, of days of decision-making about taking the family south so I could study in a psychiatric hospital, of moving into hospital ministry, and then into teaching and supervising ministers preparing for chaplaincies of one kind or another. The whole thing was extremely emotional for me, but in a very positive way. I felt nourished by the memories and by the observation of commitments being made by others. In some ways, it was an experience of renewal of faith, of re-embracing (is there such a word?) my own passion for ministry. During communion, I found myself standing in line for the bread and the wine at two separate stations, so that I could receive communion from the two newly minted ministers with whom I felt some strong fellow-feelings.
I came away from the weekend experience with a renewed appreciation for my own denomination - with all its faults, and with a new and deeper appreciation for the ethos and theological stance of our liberal and left-leaning faith group. Although I didn't get to read more than a few pages of Jo Nesbo's latest thriller, I was a satisfied and happy man Sunday evening.
Because I live most of my life in the milieu of profound conservatism, theologically speaking, I have become chronically angry at my theological surroundings. Most of what I write for the papers is against the fundamentalist mindset. I get 'bent out of shape,' theologically speaking. At our Conference meeting, I began to realize that I was suddenly at home in the midst of a less conservative, more open and joyful faith, a view on the world that is liberal, if not radical, in its orientation. I discovered that I was being fed just by the milieu, by the perspective on the world that my denomination takes. Before too long, I was not missing my novel, I was involved and contributing to the discussion and decision-making! It became quite wonderful. I didn't even spend much time in the display room. I bought only two books. I ordered a summer stole for worship; I purchased a design for another tattoo.
When the four candidates for ordination or commissioning were introduced and told us a bit about their personal pilgrimages, I was quite moved, and catapulted back into my own youthful enthusiasm for the faith and for ministry. As Wesley said many centuries ago, my heart was 'strangely warmed' by the experience. All of this came together on Sunday morning, at the Celebration of Ministry service. During this worship time, retiring ministers were recognized and honoured, departing staff members were bid farewell, and four people were set apart for ministry. All of this was happening on Sunday, June third. It struck me partway through worship that this was the exact same date on which I was ordained to ministry fifty-three years ago! I was quite overcome with this realisation, swamped by profound feelings. brought to tears as I watched these (relatively) young people taking the same step I had taken so very long ago. Memories of my early days in ministry came up, of days of decision-making about taking the family south so I could study in a psychiatric hospital, of moving into hospital ministry, and then into teaching and supervising ministers preparing for chaplaincies of one kind or another. The whole thing was extremely emotional for me, but in a very positive way. I felt nourished by the memories and by the observation of commitments being made by others. In some ways, it was an experience of renewal of faith, of re-embracing (is there such a word?) my own passion for ministry. During communion, I found myself standing in line for the bread and the wine at two separate stations, so that I could receive communion from the two newly minted ministers with whom I felt some strong fellow-feelings.
I came away from the weekend experience with a renewed appreciation for my own denomination - with all its faults, and with a new and deeper appreciation for the ethos and theological stance of our liberal and left-leaning faith group. Although I didn't get to read more than a few pages of Jo Nesbo's latest thriller, I was a satisfied and happy man Sunday evening.
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