Pastor’s Corner – June 9, 2024
Jesus Mission
The gospel reading from Mark for this Sunday feels cryptic, as if Jesus is in his own world and people around him don’t understand him. It’s as if he is so immersed in his mission, everything around him seems secondary. Yet, if we follow him long enough, we start to see with clarity that everything he does in ministry is to accomplish his mission. So, what’s his mission? To usher in God’s kingdom, God’s reign on earth in biblical terms and in theological terms, to create liberation for all people from the bondage of sin, injustice and human suffering.
As a church, we have adopted Jesus’ mission as our own. This coming Sunday after worship, our ministry teams will share our ongoing ministry to grow and deepen our faith practice. I will also be sharing my report, in light of our partnership in ministry as we continue to celebrate and work together. I am no longer a new minister in town, it’s my second annual report I will be sharing with you. Honeymoon is over! That is not to say we don’t like each other anymore; I do love you and hope you do too! Pastoral relationship and adjusting to new pastoral leadership take time and patience, as I too need time to get to know the community. Like all relationships, familiarity starts to set in. We notice patterns and habits or strengths and weaknesses. It’s not novel anymore. After a while, all my sermons seem to have common phrases and words that keep repeating. Once it was exciting but now can be annoying even! On my part, I see the same suspects in leadership and in pews. However grateful I am, we all settled in and now are asking ourselves, how can we build our relationship and partnership to make this work? The hard work of building love with imagination and creativity has begun. I believe, as you do too, that God has called us together to do our mission, to love God and neighbor. I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be and there are opportunities here and now. It’s easy to get caught up by anxiety and uncertainty when we just focus on what we don’t have, but that’s where faith comes in. Just read Paul’s letter to Corinthians for this coming Sunday. “We walk by faith not by sight!” Paul is filled with confidence that comes from God, who raised Jesus from the grave, as he says to church, reminding them that the same Spirit that was in Christ is in them as well. We do not set our eyes on things that are perishing but on eternal things, Paul adds.
Likewise, we too share Paul’s faith and the faith of Jesus. Sunday after Sunday, we rise to be the church of Jesus Christ. Let us not lose heart, but be thankful for our partnership in ministry. Amen! See you all this Sunday in worship and at our annual meeting!
Pastor Dae