Message from the Pastor

I hope you don’t mind a bit of self-indulgence in my message this week.  I am on vacation until September 7, enjoying time with family and friends, and a trip to the Oregon Coast.  I relate to the rhythm of the church year mostly in the context of the liturgical calendar, which begins at First Advent (always the last Sunday in November or the first Sunday in December).  So, right now, we are moving through the second half of the year.  But I also live in the real world, in which the year begins on January 1.  In addition, there is what used to be called the “program year” in the church, which basically lines up with the academic calendar.  This latter means that a new year begins at the same time I return from vacation.

            However, I find that God’s love, God’s Word, and Christ’s ministry, follow their own rhythm, and it permeates every day.  Whether it’s New Year’s Day or the middle of June, people are born and die, marry and buy houses, lose and gain jobs, and basically have life happen to them.  That keeps my life interesting, but also necessitates occasional time to rest.  Even Jesus said to his disciples, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile” (Luke 6:31).

            There is one significant milestone that will take place while I am on vacation.  On Saturday, September 4, I will have officially been serving as your pastor for 15 years.  This fact amazes and humbles me.  Did I ever expect, on September 4, 1995, that I would stay this long?  The truth is that I did not think about it one way or another.  The senior pastor under whom I served in Plymouth, Michigan, served there for 20 years.  I recently heard about a Presbyterian minister who served one congregation with great energy and rich innovations for 34 years. 

            I like what I once heard about Tommy Lasorda, the Los Angeles Dodgers manager.  Asked how long he would stay with the Dodgers, given his advanced age, he said, “I don’t think about it anymore.  Every winter, the owners sit down with me and we look at each other and decide to go one more year.  One of these years, we will decide to stop.”  That’s how I feel.  I pray to God to guide me, but I continue to find exciting possibilities in serving as your pastor.  I hope you feel the same way.  And I hope, when the day comes, you and I will see, together, God’s next steps for us.

            One thing I do find significant (you may find it annoying!): at some point this past year, I surpassed the Rev. Robert Christenson as the longest-serving pastor MBPPC has ever had.  If I ever had to hold a record in this world, I am most delighted and grateful that this is it.  Praise be to God, and blessings to us all as we go forward together.

            In Christ,

             Lee