As I continue to seek the face
of God and discern the most effective ways I am able to
serve you as the pastor of Krum United Methodist Church,
I came across a book called Pastor by Will Willimon, a
well-known United Methodist theologian. Although I’m
a voracious reader and often enjoy speeding through multiple
books each week, this one is definitely a book meant to
be read slowly and thoughtfully.
Here is one of his many insightful comments
that has particularly struck me, “It is the pastor
who stands at that fateful intersection between the biblical
text and the congregational context, the one who rises
each week in service to the congregation’s, ‘is
there any word from the Lord?’ A sermon is not a
perfectly prepared and delivered oration suitable for
later publication. The sermon is an act of corporate worship
within the gathered congregation.”
Well, my sermons are hardly “perfectly
prepared or delivered,” so I’m glad that Willimon
and I agree on that! However, I am struck about this “fateful
intersection” he speaks of. When I read that, I
am aware that serving in such a capacity means I engage
in much soul wrestling each week as I seek to interact
most fully with the Word of God and let it do its work
in me. This work challenges every part of me to be open
and receptive to God’s word and then to go forth
with great courage and action both to present what I have
learned and to live faithfully to those instructions.
One of the many clear themes that permeates
the Bible is this: God’s people are called to action,
called to live and step forth with courage and confidence.
To be sure, such action must be undergirded by prayer
and corporate worship. That is one of the reasons for
two added times of prayer and worship each week:
• At 8:15 on Sunday mornings, we
now have a worship service with Holy Communion each week.
• On Wednesdays evenings, after great study
and discussion, we take the time to end each evening with
a simple service of evening prayer.
How tempting just to stop here, to rest
with these added times of worship and contemplation! But
I am convinced that these wonderful times must be companioned
with powerful action that brings forth the word of grace
to our community and our world.
As we all know by now, for us one of the
big ways we do bring forth that word of grace is by taking
the bold step to provide a place of worship and prayer
and study and fellowship that is hospitable to all, to
old and young, to those who leap up stairs and those who
find stairs an impossible barrier, to our youth, to area
civic groups, to scouting troops, to any who would enter
our doors.
Soon, and probably at the scheduled November
5 Charge Conference and Anniversary Celebration, we will
say to the building committee: “Thank you for all
your hard preparatory work. We now tell you, ‘Go
forth and build that building.’ ” In September,
the Administrative Council voted unanimously to have the
first ever Capital Funds Drive for this church and to
bring in a consultant to direct it. This was another courageous
step and will be followed by many more as each of us prayerfully
discerns God’s special calling with financial giving.
In addition, many of you have been tapped
for special service this year by the Lay Leadership Committee.
The answers to those requests for service also call for
special courage: the courage to hear and follow the Spirit
of God, even where it may be new or uncomfortable.
I admit to you I have my own fears: these
are mammoth steps for us, and we will be taking risks.
But for me, the greater risk lies in choosing to be stuck
in our fears rather than facing them and embracing them
with the courage as members of God’s holy family.
So I pledge to you as I stand week by week
in that “fateful intersection” that I will
come before you having wrestled faithfully with God’s
word so that I can say to you, “Yes, there is indeed
a word form the Lord today!” And together, we will
receive the blessings and then head out the doors to give
them away.
