Loading...Bishop of Kansas Dean Wolfe tells this story:
Not long after I was elected bishop inKansas, I was in a small coffee shop not far fromCoffeyville,Kansas. There I sat, resplendent in my dark suit, new purple shirt, and a pectoral cross given to me by my former parishioners at Saint Michael and All Angels, in Dallas,Texas.
The cross, modest by Texas standards… was probably the largest golden object in Southeastern Kansas at that time. The waitress came up to take my order and said, "My… that is SOME kind of cross!”
And I replied, "Well, thank you ma’am…” and then, trying to offer some kind of explanation I said, "You see, I’m the Episcopal Bishop ofKansas….”
She stopped, looked over her glasses, and said, "Well, La DEE da!” And then to complete my humiliation she yelled over the counter to the cook, "Hey Frank, his holiness wants his burger medium rare!”
Well, laDEEda! We’ve all had moments that Bishop Wolf describes, from the humorous, humility restoring moments, to the times our ministry has been dismissed or adjudged to be without value. But those times pale in light of what all of you truly do for the sake of Christ and his people, the Gospel, and the Church.
As we approach the week that we lead the baptized in the contemplation of those mighty acts whereby God has given us life and immortality, I pray that we will not merely renew our ordination vows together, but renew our joy, our holy pride, our sheer delight in the vocations we have been called to. For you are beacons of light, ensigns of hope, and servants of the most high, who inspire and encourage and empower the baptized ministers of Christ!
At the recent House of Bishops meeting, the Bishop of Western North Carolina Porter Taylor shared the following poem in a meditation on our ordination vows.
The author is William Ayot. The poem is entitled The Contract: A word from the led
And in the end we follow them -
not because we are paid,
not because we might see some advantage,
not because of the things they have accomplished,
not even because of the dreams they dream
but simply because of who they are:
the man, the woman, the leader, the boss,
standing up there when the wave hits the rock,
passing out faith and confidence like life jackets,
knowing the currents, holding the doubts,
imagining the delights and terrors of every landfall;
captain, pirate, and parent by turns,
the bearer of our countless hopes and expectations.
We give them our trust. We give them our effort.
What we ask in return is that they stay true.
You are the bearer of countless hopes. Hope in the Word made Flesh. The sure and certain hope of Resurrection. By the power of the Holy Spirit you bring forth in God’s people trust that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and as pilgrims, the people entrusted to your care, travel through the valley of the shadow of death, you lead, comfort, and travel along side.
Captain, pirate, and parent by turns. Each of you in Holy Orders is a masterpiece being worked daily by the Master Potter. Your heritage is that of patriarchs and matriarchs and prophets, proclaiming good news to the oppressed, liberty to captives, binding up the brokenhearted, and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor.
Listen to the voices that shout so loudly these days. Hearing much hope? Our vocation to trumpet the Hope of the world, Jesus Christ, and proclaim the Lord’s favor on all God children, is so needed in this city and this commonwealth.
This holy work does not come easy. And with all the demands placed upon us, we must claim and tend to our inner life, developed through prayer, study of Scripture, re-creation, and fellowship.
The Bishop of Southwark, The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, has written:
Gregory the Great who sent Augustine toEnglandwrote:
‘It is vital that Christian leaders when occupied with exterior matters should not lessen their solicitude for the inner life, and by the same token, when occupied with their inner life should not relax their watch on exterior concerns. Otherwise, by being engrossed in the pressing duties that assail a leader, they will experience an interior collapse; or by being preoccupied with things that concern the inner life, they will end up neglecting their external duties to their neighbours.’
(The Treatise on Pastoral Care, Part 2, The Life of the Pastor, Chapter 7).
We are called to that place of exchange and encounter where ministry is demanding and costly. All the more is our need to tend to that inner life so there is a healthy balance with exterior concerns.
My sisters and brothers, We gather today, mindful that we are part of the one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which unites us with the whole people of God in all times and places, past, present and yet to come. Our primary task, the very thing for which we are made is to give praise and glory to God. Our vocation is to sing of the glory of God, to praise, to adore, to worship, and to encourage others to ‘come and see’ for themselves.
At the heart of the life of the Church is the constant offering of worship. And it is from our worship that everything else flows. For what we discover, is that we are caught up in the vision of the heavenly kingdom, the reign of Christ. We are caught up in the mystery of God, the mystery of his love poured out in Jesus Christ – in order that we, like Samuel, might respond: ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ The one who calls us is indeed faithful; but it is for us to listen attentively if we are to be well equipped for service and mission.
We are called to take risks for the Gospel and as the community of deacons, priests, and bishops in this diocese, we are called to build trust, broaden sympathies, deepen our common life and be generous in our dealings with one another, living by faith and sustained by hope in Christ.
As we stand at the threshold of Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum, I pray that we may allow the Lord to minister to us. Let Christ be the source of our renewal in confidence and trust. Pray that he may continually pour out his blessing on each of us. Ask that the Spirit may continue to anoint the whole Church to praise, proclaim and share the mystery of the love of Christ with a generous, undefended heart. For Christ is our great high Priest, in whom all our ministry and service is to be found. (adapted from Bishop Chessun’s 2011 Chrism Mass sermon)
"Well laDeedah!” some will say. Let us smile and laugh along! It is fitting that captains, pirates, and parents in turn take our vocation seriously without taking ourselves too seriously!
The poem Bishop Taylor read ended with the words that all that the led ask is that we stay true. You have. You are. No bishop could ask for colleagues truer to our ordination vows than you. May God continue to bless you. May the joy of our vocations be renewed! Stand tall at the Paschal Candle, find good footing in the pool of baptismal water, and share the Mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood generously, with joy, thanksgiving, and sheer delight that God’s grace triumphs over all. Know of my love and appreciation, always.
And I end with words a friend and I include in every email exchange. No matter what we have written to each other, we always end by saying: It’s not a bad life.
