Today, Laura and I are preparing to embark on a mission trip to Haiti. As we prepare, my thoughts race to recent mission activities that I have participated in and my role as the pastor of St. Paul UMC in Bridge City, Texas. This past spring, as part of a group of those ordained this year, I went on a mission team to the border with the bishop and cabinet. I was asked to give the first devotional. It was a little intimidating. I prayed for the right words to help the team, but I could not get the vanity of our efforts out of my mind. How would our team make a difference? I was struggling with my thoughts. I had a text and a good quote from Dietrich Bonhoefer. But, something was missing from what I had prepared. As I got dressed, a previously unnoticed note from my daughter fell out of my folded shirt. It read, "Dear Daddy, I hope that you have fun working on houses (Houses was crossed out and stuff written above.) with the bishop. I hope they know how very important you are. You are a nice Daddy and a good pastor. I love you!". It was a great letter and the first multi sentence letter that Kate had written me. But, she had misspelled important. She had dropped the are an put an e instead of an a. Her inspired note read “I hope they know how impotent you are.” Wow! What a word of truth. Impotent - without power! Me and the entire team were without power. We would not make the difference. God would make the difference!
The power of the Holy Spirit would transform our impotence into a display of God's power. This morning, as I'm away from St. Paul at a wedding in San Antonio, I have no power to change the pre-work I did to prepare the congregation for my ten day absence. I can only have faith that God's power will be displayed through the lay leadership of the church. Likewise, as I prepare to depart for Carrefour, Haiti tomorrow, I know that my gifts are not in cinder block construction. But, I place my whole trust in the risen Lord! In the power of the Holy Spirit, I will proceed boldly. May God bless our efforts beyond our understanding.
We are rapidly approaching one of the great times in the life of United Methodists, Annual Conference. Annual Conference has a warm collegial spirit. The Annual Conference focuses on celebrating the ministries of local churches and exploring ways that the Conference gathers together to do more than we would alone. There are reports, elections, setting the budgets, etc.... but one of the most uplifting events is the services of Ordination and Commissioning where Deacons and Elders give their life to serve Jesus Christ. These services inspire the whole church while specifically setting aside some in our number for leadership in the tasks of Word, Order, Sacrament, and Service. Before the celebration, our bishop will examine the candidates for ordination in front of the entire Annual Conference. This examination is often the completion of a long process over many years which have prepared the candidates for this point. Having just been there last y...
I was really touched by these comments Sunday morning. And I'm enjoying your updates. Not sure if you'll have the energy to keep it up all week, but I can tell you, it's worth the time and effort to capture the thoughts in the moment. Blessings as you build!
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