conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

wondrous night...

I am obsessed with blogging. I know this. And I will confess that during the installation service last night I had many moments when I thought "Oo! That would be great for the blog." Suffice it to say that many of them escape me now. It was an amazing evening. Sarah came. So did Larry, Kate and the Reconciler cohort. AKMA and Beth were present as Pippa always brings her support staff with her. Mae and Justin also came. They latter brought the dog over to our house. Perhaps they will have something significant to say...some color commentary that will help you all get a sense of what it was like.

During the service, I kneeled on the floor and those gathered came forward for a laying on of hands. After the service, a friend took me over to the spot where I kneeled and said..."Right here, Tripp. Right here I watched them screw you right into the floor, man. You have been installed!" Heh. So many references to being screwed. What is that!?

The sermon and the charge from my "bishop" were tremendous. Holy cow! What have I gotten myself into? Carol McVetty was the preacher. Larry Greenfield is the Executive Minister for the ABC-MC and, for you ecclesial types, serves as a bishop of sorts during these times. I do not pledge to serve him, however. I am charged to serve God. Carol said a great many things in her sermon, but the one that is wandering around my brain right now has to do with ministering as a "missional outpost." Though many will be surprised to know this, we are not in Christendom any longer. Church is no longer an assumed part of life. Beloning to a congregation and being active within it no longer assists in securing you a promotion at the office. Carol's sermon was quite remarkable. I can't begin to do it justice here.

The church honored me with their own enthusiasm. Doug Harris gave the charge to the congregation. "What are you going to do with all those new people?" He also led us in prayer and the laying on of hands. I kneeled. Then the search committee came forward. One member of the committee came forward with his daughter. She snuck in close and placed her hand on my shoulder. Then the Council came. Then the membership of the congregation present came forward. Finally the ordained gathered and the others in attendance came forward. I was surrounded by friend, colleagues, and partners in ministry. And we prayed. Boy did we pray. Thanks be to God for Doug and his right ordering of that moment. Often the ordained are the first to come forward...but they did not issue this call. The members of the Community Church of Wilmette did. And it they whom I serve at God's good pleasure.

Thank you one and all for your prayers and your participation. The reception was wonderful. The service was beautiful. The charge was weighty. We all have our work cut out for us. We will all have to do this as one Body. Is there any other way for the church?

Finally, today is the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. This is also the fifth anniversary of my beginning seminary. All of us from my seminary class knew that those events would shape our education and our ministries in a particular/peculiar way. I am still puzzling that out. But in my charge last night, Larry Greenfield said that my responsibility is to Love and to show God's Love to the world, to be an example of it to my congregation so they too may Love as God Loves.

In the continuing wake of 9/11, I hope we may all be witnesses to a God who so loved the world...a God who breathed over chaos and brought from it life...and said it was good.

I'll post the service order later on this week. Today is my day away from the church.

Posted by tripp at September 11, 2006 05:46 AM