For over seven years now, I have led a worship service at North Mississippi
State Hospital on Sunday afternoon at 12:45 p.m. Today, a patient who had
been at NMSH a year or two ago and had recently been readmitted expressed
surprise at seeing me again. He had asked someone if “the pastor with the
ponytail” still led the church service, but had been told, “That guy’s gone.
A priest does the service now.” We had a good laugh together about that.
Later this afternoon, as I came out of the office door at All Saints’, a
group of six or seven teenagers from the neighborhood behind the church were
sitting on the picnic table. I said hello and they said hello back. Then one
of them asked, “Are you the pastor here?” I said that I was, and then
another one asked, “Would you bless me?” I went over to the picnic table,
laid my hands on the girl’s head and blessed her as I traced the sign of the
cross on her forehead. The kids then asked some questions about the “new
church.” I shared with them our regular times for worship, as well as when
the EYC meets on Sunday nights. A boy said, “I’m going to come to this
church some time,” and the others nodded their heads in agreement.
Each of these stories illustrates something important about appearances and
perceptions. On the surface of each is the theme of newness, and that
certainly fits in with our stewardship emphasis, “All Things New.” But as I
put those events together with the sermon I heard at the installation
service for the new bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA yesterday,
I believe they also illustrate a point that the preacher, Presiding Bishop
of the ELCA, Mark Hanson, made: in our day and time, the church needs to do
“evangelical improvisation.” We need to become intentional and creative in
finding new ways to share the good news of Jesus with the people around us.
New looks, be they haircuts or church buildings, can’t do that by
themselves. As Shannon told us at the dedication service, it takes a vision.
Last Friday, Fred Page and Kay Trapp met with the wardens and me to share
some of what they learned at a conference they had recently attended:
Congregations of Vision: Strategies for Development, Stewardship and
Mission. Kay and Fred were obviously excited about what they had learned,
and their enthusiasm rubbed off on Albert, Les and me. The five of us
brainstormed about the new programs All Saints’ could offer, and some
fascinating ideas surfaced. I believe Bishop Hanson would say we were
involved in “evangelical improvisation.” To use Bishop Gray’s terms that
Steve Cooper reminded us of at church this morning: we were looking at new
ways of inviting people into being encountered by the gospel so that they
(and we) can experience Christ’s transforming and reconciling power. This
has always been the mission of the church:
God’s Word is our great heritage
and shall be ours forever;
To spread its light from age to age shall be our chief endeavor.
Through life it guides our way; in death it is our stay.
Lord, grant while time shall last, your Church may hold it fast,
throughout all generations.
Text: Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig,
1783-1872
Tune: Martin Luther, 1483-1546 Ein Feste Burg (“A Mighty Fortress”)
May the Word which became human in Jesus be
embodied by us at All Saints’ now and always!
Michael+
