On the occasion of celebrating 30 years in ministry this past St. Patrick’s Day (3/17/19), I shared this testimony to the love and grace of God that I know because of the people in my life.
Being a pastor does not make sense apart from a congregation.
MY being a pastor does not make sense apart from Beverly. Her love and grace and ministry are amazing.
We have three strong, inspiring, funny, delightful daughters and two sons-in-law; Lindsey & Callan, Braxton and Miles and they are expecting a sister in late July (Remi was born 7/25/19); Sarah & Flo in Orlando; Amanda in South Korea (she has since returned and is working and living in Chicago).
Beverly and I are each the oldest of three in our families and our ministry does not make sense apart from them. Our moms are here, Marlyn and Betty; our dads have died, Brent and Charles; we gained a step-dad many years ago, Rob. And we have always had Uncle Rick.
To them, and my sister, Dr. Lori Tagger; Brett & Tammi in Chicago with Tyler, AJ, and MacKenzie; Barb & Charlie, Rose and Grace; Beth & Durke, Oscar and Alex: we love you and thank you for supporting and accommodating this ministry life.
We also chose and gained in seminary, four other families who have become our Evanston family. Cassidhe Hart (who preached that day) is our chosen niece. In pastoral ministry, you move around a lot. And they have made every move with us and been there for us in all the ways we have changed.
A profound insight in Christian theological history is attributed to Saint Anselm, who became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093. His motto is “faith seeking understanding.”
We want to make sense of our lives as human beings and in our relationship with God. We want to be involved in worthwhile actions and projects and enjoy meaningful relationships. We want to experience the fullness of time together with God and each other. The larger context of these desires is proclaimed by the writer of Ecclesiastes:
What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:9-11; New Living Translation).
While our search for meaning has its beautiful dimensions, there are also real risks in not appreciating our limits. When our meaningful worlds or worlds of meaning are threatened or contradicted, we are scared about losing our identity and place in the world. We will fight to maintain our worldview against challengers, facts, truth, and anything else that might cause us to change. When we do change at this fundamental level because of internal or external circumstances, it is a type of death experience. There is a loss of what we have known when we have to begin again or create or find new meaning.
Ministry with each other and in the world as we go through this dying/rising/changing process is the work of the Church. We get to proclaim the good news that even in our greatest losses there are the gifts of new beginnings.
Seeking or finding meaning in our lives aligns our spirit and mind and body with God’s greater purposes. When that sense of integration and joy and power is experienced in community with others who are also alive in these ways, the world changes for us. That is, we share a common sense of God’s love and justice. We find new opportunities for relationships and effective work. We are inspired to take risks knowing that our value and our identity are embraced and held by God. Jesus is this wholehearted person for us, fully human and fully divine. Jesus invites us to follow him and his ways to learn of God’s grace and to be partners with him in the present and coming Kingdom of God.
When the plain sense of things is distorted and disturbed by lies, distractions, or direct attacks, we can momentarily lose our balance and our way. How will you make sense of it in 2020? In which relationships will you find strength and inspiration? How can we as the Church impact the troublesome world we have inherited and created? I look forward to important life-giving actions and conversations this coming year as our faith seeks understanding that frees us to be God’s people in the world.