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. 

No Idle Tale

The four Gospels all dedicate a great deal of their attention to the Passion narrative – the story of what happens to Jesus once he enters Jerusalem - the betrayal of Judas, the arrest in Gethsemane, the mock trials, the denial by Peter, Jesus’ crucifixion, death and burial.

All four Gospels also agree on the early disciples’ witness to the resurrection of Jesus. The tomb was empty on Sunday morning.
There is disagreement on the details. I am not surprised. When out of the ordinary events take place everyone has their own perspective on what they witnessed. I would be more suspicious of the story if all the Gospels marched in lockstep agreement on all the details – a sure sign of editorial tampering. But for those early followers of Jesus, something happened that rocked their world, and has continued to rock our world in the 21st Century.

I love the line in Luke’s Gospel when the women come to tell the apostles about the appearance of angels at the empty tomb, “these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them (Luke 24:11).” There is a ring of truth to this description. Imagine the lack of respect implied by that summary statement. I imagine the men, so absorbed in their own thoughts, and so generally dismissive of women, that they ignore the first proclamation of the Gospel, “He is risen!” Only later, when the men witness the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes, do they attach any credence to the women’s testimony that is thus preserved in Luke’s Gospel.

These kinds of details in the story are what give the resurrection accounts a sense of authenticity. Among the early Christians, there was significant doubt about what they were witnessing, and that doubt is preserved in the text. Only undeniable experiences of Jesus are able to overcome the initial skepticism of the disciples.

To the world today much of what the church professes on Easter morning seems like an “idle tale.” We who believe should not be surprised at those who doubt our witness. After all, we are not eyewitnesses but solely dependent on the testimony of those who have gone before us.

Still, I have seen the miracle of new life in the people I know. I have seen hopeless alcoholics and helpless drug addicts become sober, productive people. I have seen self-absorbed adolescents become self-giving teenagers. I have not seen the dead rise, but I have seen Christ alive in others.

Chuck used to talk about the roughness of his past. He shared no details, but I know he had trouble with drinking too much, with getting in trouble with the law, and generally self-destructive behavior. But the Chuck I knew was at peace with himself, happy in his marriage, generous to a fault, and deeply committed to the ideals of his faith. He was living a whole new life. He would say, “It’s because Jesus is now living in me.”

This is no idle tale. He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen!