Reflections

My fellow saints,

 

This week is a momentous one in both my personal life and my life of faith, as I prepare to be ordained to the diaconate this Saturday at St. Phillip’s in Richmond. I invite all to come and to take part in that event either in person or virtually (directions and livestream information here). It promises to be a glorious and spirit-filled day!

 

Along my journey towards ordained ministry, I have been fortunate to receive a treasure trove of advice and suggestions from mentors, friends, and family. Yet, one particular piece of advice has stuck with me this week. One night, I was speaking about my faith journey with a wise clergy friend, and I asked him for his thoughts about ordination. He paused for a moment and said, “I became ordained clergy because I couldn’t cut it as a layperson.”

 

I was initially confused by his statement, but as I pondered it more, I began to see its wisdom. For laypersons, like clergy, are called to serve God and neighbor. In fact, the liturgy for Diaconal Ordination that we will say on Saturday states it clearly: “Every Christian is called to follow Jesus Christ, serving God the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 543). In such a way, then, laypersons are a priesthood in and of themselves, a priesthood of believers.

 

Moreover, laypersons have the ability to bring the good news of God’s love into all aspects of their lives, to bring that love into all the nooks and crannies of society beyond the walls of the Church, and to reach out to people whom clergy may not be able to reach. In such a way, the lay ministry is vital to the Church, and without it, the Church simply could not fulfill its mission to serve God and neighbor.

 

Therefore, this week, I invite us to celebrate lay ministry, along with diaconal and priestly ministries, as of supreme importance to the Church. If you are lay person, serve God and neighbor with the confidence that your ministry is sorely needed. For we all are beloved children of God and we all have unique gifts that have a role to play in the life of the Church. Let us, therefore, go forth and use them with pride in order to, in the words of Micah 6:8, do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God!

 

Yours in Christ,

Bart