May 28, 2006

The 3 M's: Mentoring, Ministry, and Mutuality

By Susie Bjork

Susie Bjork is a student at Pacific School of Religion and has been our Minister in Training for the '05 - '06 school year. She preached this sermon to mark the end of her year with us.

Paul's letter to the Ephesians speaks of the Body of Christ, bound together by the "bond of peace;" each one of us with our gifts, talents, and contributions to offer to our community of faith.

Paul talks about building up a community in love, working together in communion with one another.

And finally, Paul also speaks of the challenge of "speaking the truth in love."

These are all the challenges and the goals of being in community with one another. And in many ways, these are also the challenges and goals of ministry.

This has been a fantastic year and I feel that I have gained so much from the experience of being your Minister in Training. And for your hospitality and support, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

So this morning, rather than an exegetical exhortation on the ecclesiastical, existential, and eschatological importance of Ephesians, I thought I would share a Top Ten list of sorts with you instead. (You're really bummed about that aren't you?:))

So here goes: The Top Ten+ Lessons I've learned at First Congregational Church of San Rafael:

#10 - Relationships built on trust, honesty, and integrity are the foundational building blocks of healthy community and the basis of healthy ministry.

#9 - Ministry is about mutuality. Ministry is about the give and take of relationships, the willingness to "speak the truth in love" and to listen when others do so.

Along with that is...

#8.5 - In order to be in community, we must take seriously the challenges of being both diverse individuals and a unified, communal body. This involves taking seriously our differences and talking about them openly, even when it's difficult to do so.

#8 - A supportive mentor, who gently aids me in self discovery, presents new challenges to me along the way, gives constructive feedback, listens to me as I process my thoughts aloud, and promises to remain a resource in my ministerial network as I go forward is a precious gift from God.

#7 - A simple act of welcome or hospitable greeting can make an enormous difference in a newcomer's experience at a new church.

#6 - The practice of ministry is just that, a practice. It is a vocational practice, an intellectual practice, a physical practice, and most importantly, a spiritual practice. And as Ann Lamott said at PSR's commencement ceremony a week ago, "Someone who dreams of being a musician doesn't dream of struggling through and sometimes slaughtering 'Farmer in the Dell' a few hundred times, but often that's what it takes in order to be able to play Mozart later on." Building community and doing ministry take practice.

#5 - The dance between practicing humility and having courage to voice a prophetic conviction is like the tango. Sometimes we lead, sometimes we follow, sometimes we step on toes, and sometimes we turn gracefully.

#4 - Creativity is a gift we all have. And a very wise person reminded me that building relationships in community is a creative endeavor.

#3 - Being in prayer with and for the people in our communities helps strengthen the "bonds of peace" (to use Paul's words) which tie us together through the God in whom we live and move and have our being.

Along with that is...

#2.5 - "Letting go and letting God" is an easy catch phrase to throw around, but is hard to put into practice. However, when I have been able to hand concerns over to God in prayer, often new insights and new opportunities have opened up before me.

#2 - Jesus was on to something when he shared a meal with his friends. Eating together and simply sharing time together can be a fantastic way to build up our community in love.

#1 - Ministry is not a solo endeavor. Ministry is not about me and God, or you and God, or me and you. Rather, ministry is about all of us and the Spirit of the Loving God who flows through all and who continually calls us out of our many places of isolation and into fuller communion with God's self, with one another, with our global community, and with our earth.

So there you have it...some of the many lessons I've learned during this past year. And as I leave this internship this morning, I want to thank you again for your support and nurture, your welcoming hospitality and your prayerful care. I will carry all of you with me as I go onward. Thank you and Amen.