Last Sunday afternoon was my Ecclesiastical Council for my ordination. In the United Church of Christ, it is not just the local church that ordains a woman or man for ministry, it is also a function of the wider church, since one is ordained as a minister of the entire United Church of Christ.
What this looked like for me is that 40 or so people, mostly from my church, but including people from other churches in the area, gathered to discern whether I had been called into vocational ministry. I shared briefly my spiritual journey, and my theological and ecclesiological understandings as they stand at this point in my life. And then the magic happened.
After my opening address, anyone gathered was welcome to ask me questions. And ask they did. "What is heaven and hell?" "What does it mean to be saved?" "Why does God allow evil?" "Will we ever evolve beyond our need for God?" And I didn't get the feeling at all that people were trying to trick me or even test me. It felt like those gathered were revealing the deep questions of their hearts.
In the coming days I may share my responses to some of these questions. For now, I want to honor the questions themselves. I left that afternoon convinced that we as the church need to be creating space for people to be safe in asking questions. For so long, the church has been the dispenser of the "truth" and we would all come on Sundays and get our cup filled. And because we weren't allowed or were too polite or were afraid about what would happen if we started messing with the cards in the house of cards. Our choices were to agree and fall in line or disagree, keep our mouths shut, and leave or stay and pretend.
We need to question. We need to knead and squeeze our understanding of our truth so we can get it into a form that makes it efficacious for our lives.
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Jason,
You amaze me every time we talk or I read you. I wasn't there for a vote but, even if you didn't get ordained, you opened the door to my new home. You keep me coming back (when I don't work) but you gave me much more important things, you gave me back me when I was doubting a lot AGAIN !!! You probably did this for more than me, I dare say you absolutely did it for many others. I can't imagine a church that wouldn't have you ordained. But, you have already served a purpose. I only pray I can help a small portion of the people you have touched. God really does know what he is doing. I do believe he chose you. To lead us. To teach us. To help us find him, through you. You are truly blessed.
Mark
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