In the fall of 2002, with wife and young son JonMark supporting me, I began the work of pastoral ministry with a small rural church in Savannah, Ohio. Savannah Presbyterian church was a welcoming and aging congregation who welcomed my family and gave me space to learn to be a pastor. They pushed me and simultaneously offered me grace to fail and space to experiment.
Before this calling I served as a youth pastor and Christian Education director--quite a difference from full pastoral ministry. Now as I began my work in the pulpit, I would be responsible for the spiritual life of a congregation.
A lot has happened in my family's life since that first Sunday in Savannah as I anxiously preached a sermon about how to be the church. But with every church that I served there was a constant refrain or mantra that followed me into the pulpit.
Sometimes these were words that were spoken by members of the church to each other. Other times they hid in the shadows of church work and life. At some points in ministry I have needed to remind God's children about the validity of them. . . I have always tried to share them as often as I can (albeit it in many different formulations through the year).
We are better together. . .
They are simple words but carry a profound meaning and implication for the church of Jesus Christ.
Interestingly this is also the primary lesson that covid-19 taught the church if we have the courage to listen and learn. If we were willing to move outside of our "holy huddles" and spend time listening to God's word, we found words of community building right before our eyes. They were, and they are, inescapable as we work to be faithful to our joint calling as Christians.
Now some churches today, some 2 years later, are still held back by their lived-experienced with covid. Anxiety and frustration still are primary driving factors for those church. They want to be faithful to God, they love the Lord, but yet are unable to take that final step toward faithfulness and affirm that we are "better together" rather than apart.
But as I was installed this weekend at Bethesda I am happy to report that a sense of "better together," or as I would say, "being with" is prevalent and at work in this church family. As I listened to the message which was tailored around the Philippians 2, I couldn't help but sense God's Spirit asking us the question: "Will be continue to be better together? Will we 'be with' our community?"
Stepping behind the communion table for the second time Sunday, with a knee that was shaky and weak, I heard the words of Institution reminding us of all that God, through Christ, did to "be with us." And so, I leave you with this 'wondering,' . . . I wonder if we are truly better together? And I wonder what it would look like to find space to 'be with' our community?
Blessings (and enjoy the video of the installation if you choose),
Rev. Derek
Beautiful service!! May God bless you and your family.
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