"The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing! All things are mine since I am his! How can I keep from singing? No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I'm clinging. Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?"
These were the concluding words that a bunch of us pastors sang at the end of our Synod Ministerium retreat this morning. Though these words alone are powerful in their affirmation of Christ overcoming all the storms of our lives, what spoke most powerfully to my heart today was what happened at the conclusion of the hymn. Each and every one of us found ourselves caught up in the moment as we began to "hoot and holler" and applaud wildly, as if the home team had just pulled out a bottom of the 9th inning walk off homerun to win the game.
What was it that stirred us "good order" pastors to spontaneous applause and celebration? Could it be that each of us knows all too well what it means to live in a world broken by heartache, violence, darkness and death? Could it be that what we experienced today was sweet release from our own pain and tears that we shed on behalf of those whom we lovingly serve as pastor?
I know with all my heart and soul that God does not abandon us in the storms of life, though it may feel like it. I am quick to convey that reality to anyone overwhelmed in tears of grief. But deep down in the darkest places of my own heart, I need to know that reality for my life too. I need to hear that truth conveyed to me. I need to know that when my own heart breaks there is a rock to which I can cling. Jesus Christ: Lord of heaven and earth.
This is what I heard and what I felt this morning in worship. I am convinced more than ever that this is what life is supposed to be like whenever we gather together in worship in the place where the crucified and risen Christ has promised to be present.
I was renewed this morning by the Spirit who nurtures life in outrageous diversity; who brings Christ near filling our worship and guiding us in hope and who continues to be poured out on all flesh comforting us and at the same time calling us to cross the line between male and female, slave and free, Jew and gentile.
That is what must happen in worship on any given Sunday in any given place. With this in mind, I leave you with the words of this morning's benediction:
"May the Spirit be the storm that shakes the foundations, the leap of new fire, which turns oppression to ash; may her wildness seduce us with holy desire; and the blessing of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit go with you now and always,
Peace,
Pastor Doug
