This post is dated June 28, 2016, and was published on jw4grace.wordpress.com before I created my current site jw4grace.com.
“An elder is called to share in the ministry of Christ and of the whole church: to preach and teach the Word of God and faithfully administer the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion; to lead the people of God in worship and prayer; to lead persons to faith in Jesus Christ; to exercise pastoral supervision, order the life of the congregation, counsel the troubled, and declare the forgiveness of sin; to lead the people of God in obedience to Christ’s mission in the world; to seek justice, peace, and freedom for all people; and to take a responsible place in the government of the Church and in service in and to the community. These are the duties of an elder. Do you believe that God has called you to the life and work of an elder?”
I do so believe.
This year’s West Michigan Annual Conference at Michigan State University marked my twenty-fifth year as an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. The description above was part of this year’s Service of Recognition, Commissioning, and Ordination. Every year that I participate in this service I am humbled by these clear declarations of the official meaning of the Orders of ministry (Elder, Deacon, Local Pastor) and the confirmation process (Recognition, Commissioning, Ordination) for each Order.
Each clause describing the life and work of an elder now has vivid meaning in the relationships, stories, and memories of the people through whom God has blessed and burdened me. The blessings, of course, are great. The burdens are heavy reminders of my limitations and ongoing need for grace. In Christian community, vulnerability and intimacy are revealed in all we learn about God, each other, and ourselves. Which is why I so often return to GRACE in my life and ministry.
GRACE is the best way for me to approach knowing God in all the Wesleyan ways we understand it: God loving us before we know it, opening doors by preparing hearts and minds for new relationships; reconciling, forgiving and restoring us to a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ; giving us a future with hope as we go on toward perfection in love in this life.
The most graceful people in my life are Beverly, Lindsey, son-in-law Callan, grandson Braxton, Sarah, and Amanda. Beverly and I also are welcoming a new son-in-law Florian who will marry Sarah next April. Grace flows through them and our extended families, natural and chosen. Grace confounds, comforts, and challenges me. It is the orienting power in my life and ministry. When I wonder about direction, identity, or purpose, I return to grace and go from there.
Which brings me to accounting. I majored in it for my Bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University. I passed the final section of the CPA exam during the final year of my Master’s degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. I am so thankful that accounting has taught me the spiritual value of financial stewardship. I also have discovered how important it is to me to account for my life and ministry.
Sometimes fear motivates my accounting, wanting to show that I am enough of a disciple, husband, father, grandfather, ordained elder, or friend to be acceptable. Then there are the bad examples of “accountability” that seem like thinly veiled attempts to get rid of unacceptable people. But in my healthier, GRACEFUL moments, accounting is a witness to joy, abundance, peace, and hope. I prefer the accounting described here:
Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence (most of 1 Peter 3:14-16).
Through grace, God has given me the strength to account for my hope. I have returned to grace to begin again so many times that I have lost count. The life of a disciple and work of an elder in the Church is still the best way I believe I can account for God’s grace in my life. I thank God for all of you who share this journey.