The gathering described in the Acts
reading today is a between time, a transitional time. Jesus has ascended, but
Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit, has not yet occurred. The apostles
returned to Jerusalem, and there they waited.
During this interim or between time, Peter
reminds the gathered people of God of their purpose, and of Judas’ former role
in that purpose. “For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in
this ministry.”[1] Peter
is recalling the past and what the disciples learned from the past.
These two things during a transition
time are critical: recalling the past and storing those things that were
hurtful or anger inducing in a place where we can access them when we need them
but they have lost their hurt and anger. We want to keep what we learned from
the past because that is the part than can help us.Without recalling what
happened in the past and mining it for what it taught us, we might repeat the
past mistakes. And, when we rediscover God’s purpose for us as a parish, we
will be prepared to welcome the future.
This is what your Vestry is currently
engaged in doing: rediscovering God’s purpose for St. Alban’s and putting it
into words that can be on everyone’s lips when someone says, “Who are you and
what are you about at St. Alban’s?”
As the story in Acts continues, it
seems a little confusing to our contemporary ways of choosing people for
various ministries in the church. What, after all, could be more silly than
relying on casting lots, the equivalent of throwing dice, to decide who should
become a leader in the church?
Look carefully at the way this story
unfolds, though, and it has much to say about how we can make choices in the
church. First, Peter points out the qualifications needed and what the duties
are. “So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the
Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning with the baptism of John until
the day when he was taken up from us – one of these must become a witness with
us to his resurrection.”[2]
Someone is needed who knows what was
learned in the past when Jesus was with them, and who knows what the purpose is
now.
Next, candidates are chosen who meet those
criteria. And here it isn’t so much a matter of age or longevity as it is one
of understanding, of knowing the meaning and purpose of Jesus’ ministry, death
and resurrection. It is only by the knowledge of these things that the apostles
will have a witness qualified to do what needs to be done.
In the end, what this story can
brings us to is the qualifications for leaders in the church and that includes
lay leaders as well as clergy. Qualifications based on understanding rather
than longevity, and on willingness to do what needs to be done using that
understanding; qualifications that will support the future of St. Alban’s.
Lest you think this kind of
decision-making is impossible in today’s church, let me give you an example from
a church I served where they choose their vestry members, their governing body,
in this way.
They have criteria for vestry, among
which are:
· Persons nominated for vestry conform to the canonical
requirements of the church, meaning they are baptized members and have been confirmed
or received into the Episcopal Church.
· Vestry candidates are required to tithe or are working
toward tithing. (For those of you unfamiliar with what this means, tithing is
giving 10% of your annual pre-tax income to the church.)
· Vestry candidates are given clear ministry
descriptions and expectations to have an understanding of the ministry of the
vestry.
· Prospective candidates are regular attendees at
worship.
Once qualified candidates are chosen,
their names are put in a hat. At the annual meeting, the youngest member of the
parish who can walk, talk and pull slips of paper out of a hat comes to the
podium. S/He draws the appropriate number of names for new vestry members out
of the hat.
How does it work? Beautifully. A big
part of why it works is that no one wins or loses since each person has been
identified as a potential leader. The names not drawn for vestry are given to
the rector. The rector meets with each person to help them discern the passion
and direction in which their leadership skills could flourish. And, to make
sure all was legal, the parish had petitioned the bishop to waive the canons or
rules of the diocese to permit such a method of choosing prior to their annual
meeting. It had been done this way long before I arrived.
What all this tells us; both from our
Acts reading, and the way that particular parish chose their leaders, is this.
Church leaders have these five qualities.
· They know Jesus Christ as Lord.
· They publicly demonstrate their
spiritual grounding through generous giving.
· They know what is expected of them as
vestry members.
· They know what the parish has learned
from the past.
· They know what their parish’s purpose
is now.
It’s interesting to note that we
never hear anything more in scripture about either Matthias or the multi-named Joseph,
called Barsabbas, known as Justus. Both of these men disappear into obscurity. What
was important in this story was how they
were chosen: with firm criteria and trust in God.
Think about this, please. How often
do we really trust God is in our decision-making? How often do we spend time in
prayer about the decision? What would happen if we did our part at the
beginning? If we thought about what God wants in a leader, or a follower, for a
particular ministry, before we recruited people? If we addressed these things
in prayer, rather than getting nervous and asking the first warm body that
walks by?
What if we behaved like Jesus’
apostles? “Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us
which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and
apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’”[3]
And there is the other quality we
sometimes forget about in church leadership. “Judas turned aside to go to his
own place.” Implied in this is that Judas chose his own place rather than
choosing the place of our Lord. The leaders the church desires are those who
place God’s desire for the church above their own desires. This quality of
seeking God first is shown in the outcomes of the scripture and can be shown
here as well.
Your search committee is doing this. (Well,
except for the casting lots part...) They are doing a superb ministry for this
church, setting aside their own needs and desires. They have spent countless
hours living the gospel to select your next rector. The next time you see one
of these leaders of the church, thank him or her for being faithful followers
of Jesus Christ. AMEN.
The Rev Nicolette Papanek
©2018
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