The pastoral installation service we shared last Sunday is lingering in my mind and in my heart. All week, I’ve found myself humming “For Everyone Born, A Place at the Table…” and “Will You Come and Follow Me if I But Call Your Name….” I’m hanging on to the words spoken and the necks hugged. More than anything, I feel humbled and deeply grateful for all that was expressed in the service, the time of celebration that followed, and the presence of so many of you who made an intentional effort to be a part of it all.
Thank you to all who helped make possible all that we experienced together – those who planned and prepared food and space for the reception; the worship leaders, including the choir, who transformed us with words and song; each one who waited in line to offer a touch and a word of blessing.
The laying on of hands, while it significantly lengthened the service for those in the pews, was particularly meaningful for me. This church has laid hands on me three times now – at my ordination as I was beginning my ministry among you 20 years ago, when you ordained me as a deacon in 2022, and now as you installed me as your pastor. On each occasion, you have set me apart for a particular role of service in the church, and each time, that powerful act has been a rich symbol of both the weight of the call pressing down on my shoulders and the blessed reminder me that I do not shoulder the burden alone.
Poet Maya Angelou wrote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” As the memory of the words spoken on this day fades over time, I will carry the feeling of what we shared in this moment with me for a long, long time. I hope that you will, too, because it wasn’t just my moment, but our moment. And it empowered and equipped us all for the many, many moments to come. Thanks be to God!