For young and for old, a place at the table,
a voice to be heard, a part in the song,
the hands of a child in hands that are wrinkled,
for young and for old, the right to belong,
 
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!

~"A Place at the Table," Worship & Song #3149

Always Learning

Before I was appointed senior pastor in 2018, I served at Saint John’s as associate pastor. At the 2018 annual training for moving pastors, the conference trainers gave out prizes to the people who moved the furthest, had the most years of service, etc. I received a prize that day for moving the least number of miles. In fact, my new office was right down the hall from my previous office.

While I did not move churches, the pastoral roles were very different. My predecessor Paul Escamilla left me with several pieces of wisdom about becoming a pastor in charge and left with me a most notable book: Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC by Frederick Buechner. As you can see in the picture, it’s well-worn and flipped through. It is a curious and whimsical book with brief, thought-provoking definitions for theology’s deepest questions. Paul also left me with his United Methodist Book of Discipline, which is important for our connected life in the UMC but is by no means “brief.”

Buechner’s Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC served as an inspiration for our current worship series, the ABCs of Jesus. No matter how old we are or how experienced we are, it is always nice to revisit the basics. Sunday, we were on “E” highlighting the expansive grace in Acts 11:1-18, the very New Testament passage which encouraged me – more than any other verse – to keep listening to and learning from God. When Peter recognizes God’s expansive vision for the early church, he realizes the narrowness of his own understanding and asks, “who was I that I could hinder God?"

I still get chills when I read that! Good stuff.

Sunday, the choir sang A Place at the Table, a song well suited for Acts 11. This Sunday, May 25, the composer Mark Miller will be here (in person!) to help us celebrate our 10^th year of affiliation with the Reconciling Ministries Network. RMN is an important milestone in Saint John’s response to God’s ever-expanding grace.

Whether we are young or old, new or tenured, traveling around the world or down the hall, God has something to teach us. I am grateful to be in an open, listening, and curious community like Saint John’s as we listen together.