Dear Partners in Ministry,
TRANSITION MYSTERIES: It is finally time to say "goodbye"..."hello"...and "God be with you ‘til we meet again". I retire August 31. Shortly after I arrived in New England eight years ago (it seems like yesterday), a mystery arrived in my office. It was a beautifully hand-crafted coffee table with the words of one of my favorite hymns carved in the top. What a wonderful mystery. Who carved it? How did they know this hymn held such personal meaning to me? It is the "Hymn of Promise" which contains these lines: "From the past will come the future, what it holds a mystery, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see!" I then discovered the table had been made by a retired pastor, the late Milt Smith, who had served with distinction for many decades and was continuing his ministry into the future in creative ways through woodworking.
The New England Conference has such a rich past of serving Christ - decades and centuries, in fact. A new season of things that God alone can see is growing out of the past into a new future. Do you see it? Are you ready to trust God's adventure ahead?
As the movers were taking some of the old, falling apart furniture (some would call it junk) out of our garage, one of them asked me, "Does this go too???" I know it seemed a mystery to him, but God and I see some creative woodworking ahead, even as ministry. Here are some "transition mysteries" we've experienced:
- The Junk Man taketh and giveth: We've been putting a lot out for trash as we have been trying to downsize (along with donating anything useable to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.). One night I put out such gems as old sermon manuscripts (after all, they were all so "unforgettable," who needs to keep copies?), a tattered Red Sox pennant (Red Sox who?), and a badly scratched copy of the record album "We're On the Eve of Destruction" (remember records… scratchy music...HiFi rather than Wi-Fi? I used this record over and over 45 years ago with youth groups. Ugh!). I also put out a very old exercise bike, actually hoping someone might pick it up who could use it. Well, as often happens, someone did come in the middle of the night and took the exercise bike, but in its place that someone left a wheelchair! Oh, the mystery of it all! When we discovered the wheel chair the next morning, I said to Linda that I wondered if it was a sign that we are transitioning from the exercise bike to the wheelchair, but then again, some of the most vital, faith-filled people I have ever known used wheelchairs. We trust God for whatever the future holds.
- I'll Fly Away: On our last Sunday in New England before moving, without anyone knowing, we decided to attend Carter Memorial UMC in Needham where my sister's family had been members for many years. To our surprise, the last hymn in the service was "I'll Fly Away", accompanied by a wonderful worship band. Those of you who were at Annual Conference in June know that I was asked to play that on my trombone as the last number in a great evening of celebration. Here it was again...totally unplanned. Like all of us, we fly away into the future on the wings of the Spirit. Like the ducks we saw overhead later that day, we go with the gratitude that we are a part of a community. Linda and I have been deeply grateful for all of you with whom we have been blessed by God to "fly", even soar, in these eight years of our journey. We are not just partners in ministry, but partners in the mystery of God's love in Christ that links us together and connects where we have been to where God is taking us.
TRANSITION CERTAINTIES: For certain, Linda and I will always treasure the relationships and experiences we have had, by God's Grace, here in New England. For certain, we will continue to give thanks to God for you. For certain, we will pray for you, as we hope you will pray for us, that we all, wherever we are, will be joyful and faithful in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. For certain, God has very special and gifted disciples of Jesus coming to be partners in ministry with you: Bishop Suda Devadhar and his spouse, Prema. For certain, God is with us!
I love Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. In II Corinthians 5:17 Paul writes with certainty: "If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation: the old has passed away, behold the new has come!" This is the "life verse" I chose (or it chose me) when I was a teenager. My simple testimony is that the mystery and certainty of this glorious new creation is still coming the deeper and deeper I go in Christ. I pray this is true for you. I pray that your church boldly proclaims and lives it. I pray that one day our world will reflect that new creation Christ offers. Now, over fifty years after selecting that life verse, I conclude this season of life and ministry before retirement with Paul's concluding words to the Corinthians:
And that's about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello. The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.
II Corinthians 13:11-13, The Message
As always, for always, Grace and Peace to you, partners in this extraordinary ministry,
Pete
