“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them . .” – Romans 12:6a
“The only constant is change” is one of those old sayings that comes to mind at certain times, and although it sounds cliche, it is a basic truth. Life brings change, and most of us know better than to operate on the assumption that things will always be the same, because that simply isn’t reality. Change gives us opportunities to grow, to learn, and to expand our horizons. We may not always want changes to occur, but more often than not, we don’t have the choice.
As Pastor Ed retires and we say our good-byes, our congregation will experience changes in many ways. As members, we can expect to have additional or new responsibilities, and we will need to consciously work together in a somewhat different dynamic. We can turn to Paul’s letters to the new, struggling congregations of his time in which he offered encouragement, advice, and reminders of what we are called to do and who has called us – God himself. As a congregation, we bid godspeed to our pastor of the past fourteen years as he begins a new phase of his life, and we begin a new phase ourselves. This prayer has been prayed by Pastor Ed on numerous occasions over the years. Let us pray it with him on this occasion:
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. – Lutheran Book of Worship
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers