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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-10-27, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1999. From the Minister's Study Minister’s farewell shares her view from here By Rev. Christine Johnson Brussels and Ethel United Churches In the very final chapter of Deuteronomy, at the very end of what we know as the Torah, we have this story of God taking Moses up to the top of Mount Nebo and showing him the promised land. I've always thought this was a rather pathetic story because it seemed so sad, so unfair, that after all the work Moses had done to guide the Israelite peo­ ple to this point, all he gets in return is a glimpse of the land to which they are headed. And yet, today, I finally under­ stand the poignancy of this moment. All of us someday reach the end of this journey we call life. We stand on a mountain called the future, and all we are offered is a glimpse of the view from here. There is always a future of which we will not be a part. Someday, we will all be Moses standing on that mountain, celebrat­ ing the promises made by God, and yet realizing that our time is coming to an end. I realize that my leaving is not as grave as the situation was for Moses. But still, October has been a difficult month for me, because I feel like I’m standing on that mountain. I can see the view of your promised land from here, but I know that I will not enter into it. I know that there will be good news to be heard. I know that there will be changes, and new areas of spiritual growth, but when it comes to the ministry of Ethel United Church/Brussels United Church, I will not be walking beside you as you go forward into the future. So, there is grief. There always is when we end a relationship. Yet, I realize that I can see the view from here, from on top of that mountain, because we have traveled a long way together. Like Moses, I can enjoy the view knowing that there is much to be celebrated. We can celebrate the joyful times, the birthdays, anniver­ saries, weddings, baptisms. And even as we remember the sorrows, the loss of important people in our lives, we can celebrate the compas­ sion we shared in the midst of pain. We can take the time to be thankful for the laughter and all the silliness that took place. We can take the time to be thankful for the good work we have done together as a Christian community. I’m sure that Moses had moments of “what if’. I even catch myself saying those words. “If I were stay­ ing I would do this ... or that.” There are dreams, and hopes, and longings for you, and for myself. There are things that I have left undone. There are things that I was­ n't very good at. There are areas of our church life which could always be improved. There are people who were not visited, words which went unsaid. And I’m sure there was a part of Brussels Mennonite Fellowship 9:30 a.m. Worship Service 10:45 a.m. Christian Education Moses which thought, “Whew, I'm glad that’s over. I’ve done my work.” He probably could have lived without the grumblings in the wilderness. He probably could have lived without the Israelite’s impa­ tience and their constant demands. I know that in every pastoral relation­ ship there are ups and downs. There are disagree-ments and misunder­ standings. There is anger when changes take place. There is fear when the church forges ahead into an unknown area. And so, it is true. There are a>few things that I will gladly leave behind when I leave this place. Moses was confident in the future because he had a successor. He had Joshua who was “full of wisdom”, who was the next leader of the Israelites. I too am confident of the future. You may feel at a loss in the midst of the selection process for a new minister, but even without an ordered minister, I know that you will do fine. I am confident because this church has many leaders who are “full of wisdom”. And what is even more important, these leaders know when to be fool­ ish in order to be wise. It’s easy to enjoy the view from here when you know that the prom­ ised land is full of good news. It’s easy to see a future ripe for the pick­ ing. All you have to do is be faithful to the God of Moses, the God of Joshua, the God of all your fore­ mothers and forefathers. God will lead you to where you need to go. Human leaders will come and go. Ministers of the United Church of Canada will come and go. But, God is with you always. This is the gospel that Jesus shared in his ministry. God is always with you. God loves you no matter what. Remember that line I taught the chil­ dren, “Grace is when God accepts us no matter what.” Well, if I’ve taught you anything, I hope it’s that phrase. Repeat it to yourself whenever you start to be judgmental of yourself or of others. This was the truth which changed my life. This is good news to my ears. I am so thankful that I don't have to prove myself to God. I am so thankful that I don’t have to eam God’s favour. I am so thankful that I don’t have to do certain things, or act a certain way. I used to think that if Christianity was supposed to be good news, why did it always make me feel so bad. I thought I was a failure because I felt that I was never good enough. I felt that I didn’t measure up. My life changed the day that I realized that I was okay. No, I wasn’t perfect. I made mistakes. But God accepted me, and loved me no matter what. God wanted me for me. God could use me, warts and all. This is the good news. This is the gospel. And I want you to know, and I think this is rather amazing, that you lived out that good news from the day I entered your life. You put up with all my idiosyncrasies. Here I was fresh out of theological college. In many ways, I was very inexperi­ enced. I was your first woman minis­ ter. I did not live in the manse. My children were not a part of the con­ gregation or the community. My spouse had nothing to do with the ministry here because he was a min­ ister himself with his own congrega­ tions. And to top things off, I even had a different name. Was I to be called Rev. Johnson or Mrs. 'Johnson or Mrs. Murray or Chris or Rev. Chris or hey you? You watched me stumble and you picked me up. You were willing to take the time to teach me when I needed your help (and even when I didn’t). You accepted me warts and all. You know, that doesn’t mean that everyone liked me, or every­ thing I did. I mean, God doesn’t like everything that we do. But that’s not the point. We are still God’s children and we are accepted and loved. I found that you were there for me when I needed you. You were willing to accept imperfection. You lived out the good news in the way that you welcomed me into your lives no mat­ ter what. The apostle Paul had a similar message for his people in the country of Thessalonica. In his letter to them, he gives thanks for them and for their ministry and for all that they mean to him. He writes with great tenderness, “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.” Paul celebrates the relationship that he had with them. He knows that a life in Christ must be lived within a community. Christianity is a group sport. Commitment to the team is all important. He is not afraid to express his love for them, a fact that Biblical scholars say was quite unheard of at the time. And I understand how Paul feels. When we enter into a community, whether it is Thessalonica, or Ethel or Brussels, we create and develop close relationships. Within a spiritu­ al community, we explore and express those ideas and thoughts and fears which are deep within us, which foster intimacy and under­ standing between us. So, just as Paul says, we don’t just share the gospel, the good news, with each other, we also share ourselves. And in the Continued on page 19 you are ‘Welcome at the BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD 9:45 a.m. - Sunday School for Children and Adults 11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship Bible Studies - Wednesday 10 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. Phone 523-4590 McConnell St., Blyth THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA You are welcome this Sunday OCTOBER 31 - ALL SAINTS HOLY EUCHARIST Trinity, Blyth St. John's, 9:30 a.m. Brussels Wheelchair accessible 11:15 a.m. Rev. Nancy Beale - Rector - 887-9273 November 7 Guest Speaker Scott Pettigrew of Wingham Blyth United Church Come Worship The Lord With Us Sundays - 11:00 a.m. Worship Service & Sunday School Minister ~ Rev. Ernest Dow ALL ARE WELCOME 523-4224 BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Rev. Christine Johnson ■ Minister Church Office 887-6259 E-mail: bepc@wcl.on.ca October 31, 1999 9:30 a.m. - Worship Ethel United Church 11:00 a.m. - Worship Brussels United Church A WARM WELCOME TO ALL! MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS 11:00 a.m. - Morning Service - Sunday School 9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service Wheelchair accessible Nursery care available Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831 HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH Auburn - 526-7555 PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-9017 ASSOCIATE PASTOR - YOUTH - JEREMY SHUART 523-9788 Sunday 8:45 a.m.- Morning Worship Service 10:00 a.m.- Family Bible Hour 11 a.m.- Morning Worship Service 8 p.m.- Evening Service Wednesday 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.- Family Night (Kids* Club) Friday 7:30 p.m.- Youth Saturday 7:00 p.m.- Costume Carnival at Auburn Hall. Fun, games & candy for the whole family. No charge. We welcome you to come and worship with us. Ethel Communion - 9:45 - 10:30 Family Bible Hour and Sunday School 11:00 - 12:00 Prayer & Bible Study Tuesday 8 p.m. Cornerstone Bible Fellowship John 14:6 - Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, no one comes to the Father, but through Me." Everyone Welcome For more information call 887-6665 ££ea&e /dirt ua UMW&tip tfiib Sunday Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m. Evening Worship Service ~ 7:30 p.m. "Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ fesus our Lord." Romans 8:39 BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233 Wheelchair accessible