Retirement!

     Hard to believe but my official retirement date is just over a month ahead.  In retrospect, thirty-three years have flown by, although in the middle of those years I often doubted that this day would come.  There were years filled with tears, for sure, but all in all I have been far more blessed than I have blessed others, more grace experienced than given.
     Still, ministry is hard work.  I came out of seminary with the delusion that working for the church would be a kind of paradise experience.  After all, weren't we all followers of Jesus, the Beloved?  Then I was immersed in my first congregation and found messy, messy lives.  Eugene Peterson says it best, and I'm paraphrasing, but we should not be surprised that there are problems in the church because there are sinners in the church.  And, Peterson continues, if that weren't bad enough, they have sinners for pastors.
     I have been surprised by the meanness of Christians.  I have been appalled by the attitudes of some of Jesus' followers.  I have been ashamed by the actions of people who represent Christ.  There are times I have grown discouraged.
     But there is another side to church life.  I have been surprised by the depth of spirituality of ordinary people.  I have been the recipient of untold kindnesses.  I have been amazed at the self-sacrifice that many Christians are willing to make for the sake of someone else.  There may be sinners in the church but there are saints as well, and I have been privileged to serve among them.
     Privilege is the right word.  While the work is hard, ministry is also a privilege.  People invite me into their homes and tell me their darkest secrets and deepest hopes.  I have been present at the significant moments in the lives of families - birth, baptism, confirmation, marriage.  I have walked with people through the valley of the shadow of death.  I have held the hand of a weeping mother, unable to come to terms with her alcoholic son.  I have baptized a young man in a river, and countless babies in the presence of the faithful.  Meals have been brought to me by dear people, simply because they had me on their minds.  I have had the opportunity to share my heart's wildest hopes in front of congregations every Sunday, and they came back again the next week to listen again, and amazingly, again and again.  Mine has been a life of privilege, indeed.
     There have been sacrifices made to live this life.  I have not chosen where to serve or where to live.  All of that has been chosen for me.  I have had to be flexible.  I have sought to be incarnational, like Jesus - adjusting to my circumstances rather than changing the circumstances to suit me, yet trying to be a witness to the kingdom, whatever the circumstances.
     I have hopes for the years ahead, of course.  I have many projects, plans, trips which have been on the back burner for a while now and I relish the opportunity to spend more time with family.  And now that I DO have weekends off I may end up writing a bit more than I've been able to in recent years.  (I may have to change the name of this blog, however!).
     In any case, thank you for reading.  I'll have more to share in the days ahead.