Pete Blinkilde shared a brief review of recent pastors in his October 8 sermon. He spoke about having the right pastor at the right time for the needs of the Church. It was a review he did genuinely and with integrity.
I responded on the pastor side of things that being a pastor does not make sense apart from a congregation. MY being a pastor does not make sense apart from Beverly, my wife. Her love and grace and ministry are amazing. Our compatible vocations (medical social worker and pastor) are also a blessing.
As a congregation you shape what kind of pastors we are as we cooperatively figure out what works best in this time and place. Together we discover what gifts we bring and what gifts are needed. Which means in one sense you also are the right congregation at the right time for me.
As we enter November with All Saints’ Day I see Pete’s phrase in an expanded way to understand that saints are the right people at the right time for God’s purposes. It is a wonderful time to remember and give thanks like we do in this worship prayer:
Everlasting God, this day revives in us memories of loved ones who are no more. What happiness we shared when they walked among us. What joy when loving and being loved, we lived our lives together.
And isn’t this a helpful and inspiring way to think about the birth of Jesus? Right person at the right time for God’s purposes for the world that God loves?
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children (Galatians 4:4-5).
With Christ God makes the time right all the time. Sometimes we show up for each other with gifts of mercy or compassion to listen to grief and pain. Sometimes we show up for each other with gifts of joy and peace to rejoice in healing or restoration or forgiveness. By faith we understand that what God does with us right here in Greenville is what God does all over the world. And we have the encouragement of the writer of Colossians to act accordingly:
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone (Colossians 4:5-6).
May God bless us to be the right people at the right time with Christ during this All Saints – Thanksgiving – Advent – Christmas season. Praise God from whom all time and blessings flow.