We
gather with Janet this evening to celebrate ministry. Each on of us by virtue
of our baptism is called to ministry and for that we can give thanks. But
tonight we gather to celebrate a particular kind of ministry; the ministry of
the priest. It’s a particular calling, this ministry of priest, and sometimes
it takes a very special kind of perseverance to live into this calling; the
kind of perseverance that Janet witnesses for us so beautifully.
And
like the old song says, “What a long, strange trip it’s been,” eh, Janet?
Sometimes the call to ordained ministry causes us to uproot ourselves and go on
a journey of hundreds or even thousands of miles off to seminary and then off
to a new community. Other times, as is Janet’s experience, the thousand-mile
journey happens in one place. But make no mistake. Janet has been on a
significant journey right here in Darrington and her journey continues.
And
what has Janet been doing on her journey? While I certainly don’t know all the
details, here’s what I do know. I know that Janet has listened. Janet as
learned. And Janet has acted.
Janet’s
ministry is grounded in prayer. She listens for the still small voice of God, a
voice that’s often not clear or apparent. Listening for God is the foundation
of all our ministries, and particularly for the ministry of priest. It seems
like such an obvious thing to say, that the priest’s ministry is grounded in
prayer, but in the reality of the busyness of doing ministry on an ordination
day, it’s all too easy to forget to pray, to listen for God. Too often these
days, clergy take on the role of management consultant or over-burdened CEO.
Their grounding in prayer is not self-evident. But without that grounding, without
that foundation, our ministries can lose their mooring. Spending time in prayer
as a practice, every day, clears the space for us to discern the voice of God
in that moment and to discern the
voice of God speaking through others—again, not always a straightforward
proposition. Archbishop Humberto Medeiros once said, “I try to see the face of
Christ in every person who walks into my office; although I must admit,
sometimes Christ shows up in deep disguise.” It takes practice to listen for
God. It takes practice to see the face of Christ in everyone we meet. In the
time that I have known Janet, I have watched
her listen, if you know what I mean, and listened
to her describe her listening for God. Your practice of listening for God is
faithful, Janet. It is the foundation of your ministry.
Janet
has also been a learner on her thousand-mile journey right here in Darrington.
Janet is one of those blessed persons who knows what she doesn’t know. Now,
many of you may already be aware that Janet is a graduate of one of the finest
colleges in the United States, and, of course, she is a much loved and
respected teacher here. She has plenty of intellectual horsepower. But just as
importantly, she knows what she doesn’t know and she’s eager to learn. There’s
this lovely humility and openness to the new in Janet that is also foundational
for ministry. Too often in our ministries, both ordained and lay, we head in
the opposite direction. We don’t
know—or won’t acknowledge—what we don’t know. Our rigid adherence to tired
dogmas and humanly constructed belief systems, bring us into the arrogance of
certainty. The sin of pride. When we think we have all the answers in our
ministries, we close ourselves off from the fresh breeze of the Spirit. “The
wind of the Spirit blows where it will,” Jesus reminded Nicodemus, a very
learned scholar of religion. It turns out that Nicodemus, like Janet, realized
that there was plenty to know that he didn’t know, and by the end of John’s
gospel we see that he’s moved from being simply a scholar of religion to become
a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus. He was willing to learn more, despite all
his scholarly credentials. That’s Janet’s story, too. She has studied hard and
learned and continues to learn. And she has been very clear about what she
doesn’t know and has asked for help. She’s a model for all of us in that.
Continue learning, Janet, so you can teach us.
Janet
hasn’t just listened and learned on her thousand-mile journey. She as acted.
Ministry hasn’t been just conceptual or abstract for Janet. It has been
experiential. She has actualized, that is to say, what she is hearing and
seeing and learning. In her relationships in the wider community of Darrington
as a teacher and activist she witnesses to what life that is growing in grace
looks like. And with the good folks of Transfiguration, Janet’s loving presence
and leadership is making space for the Holy Spirit to do a new thing in that
blessed place. Of course, acting in our ministries really means serving. Let
Janet’s witness tonight inspire all of us to ask ourselves, “How will I serve
the Lord Jesus tomorrow? The day after tomorrow?” Let Janet’s witness move us
each towards committing to serve in a least one particular way this week and
the next.
Charge to the candidate.
Janet, please rise. First, I want to thank you for the privilege of preaching
at this grand event. It’s a privilege to meet you here tonight as your
thousand-mile journey continues on. I bring with me the love and best wishes of
all your friends at St Thomas. No matter where your journey takes you, you will
always be in their hearts. I charge you as follows: Always remember who you
are. You are, before anything else, a baptized person, a beloved child of the
Living God. You will always be
enough. That’s your beginning place. And remember whose you are; a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before
Transfiguration, before the Church, your first loyalty is to Christ. If you’re
constant in listening for God’s still small voice, constant in learning and
reading the Bible, constant in acting and serving you won’t have any trouble
remembering this. Janet, I charge you to be a living reminder to each one of us
that by virtue of our baptisms we are—each and every one of us—called to serve.
To serve at Transfiguration, to serve in Darrington and Skagit County, to serve
in the world. Your ministry begins in this place and radiates outward. Take
these folks with you. They’ll be glad to go.
Show
us what it means to respond to God’s call. And to respond even in the midst
of all our fears and uncertainties. That image of the hot coal purifying
Isaiah’s lips is a little intimidating, I’ll admit. Show us how to say, “Here I
am, Lord, send me,” when you’d really prefer that God send someone else.
And
as God continues to bless you on this thousand-mile journey, you will continue
to bless us. Amen.
