Today was a remarkable day for our family. We celebrated one of our own – Kristin, who was commissioned and officially installed at Orchard Park Presbyterian Church (OPPC), the church where she has been on staff for the last several years. This was a big deal for several reasons. While Kristin has been in ministry close to 20 years, and has worked at two different Presbyterian churches, she has never aspired to be in a “called” position until several years ago.
Since then, she has studied in cohorts with classmates, done special projects, maintained her regular duties at the church, completed her preaching assignments and been examined (and found worthy) by the Whitewater Presbytery. She has also been formally called to OPPC for an open position that has been vacant in the hopes that Kristin would complete her studies and be interested in continuing to serve at the church.
Today was Kristin’s formal installation into her new position. We were privileged to be a part of the ceremony that was the capstone of her years of preparation. I have to say that we were impressed with the pomp and circumstance that the Presbytery used to elevate one of its own. There was an entire service dedicated to her “call” of her new position.
As a Father, it was a surreal experience. It reminded me of years ago when Kristin and I graduated together with our doctorates. While I was ordained and had some ministry experience in the corporate world, I never had serious aspirations about a church pastorate. My career has been spent in other ways.
But I couldn’t help but remember when we first moved to Carmel in 1982 and attended OPPC for almost six years. We still have the church program from Christmas one year that listed Kristin and Jill as participants in the Christmas pageant. Janet was in charge of the costumes for the program. Who could have ever imagined that 43 years later Kristin would be standing in the same sanctuary, being commissioned to serve in the very church that we attended so many years ago? I almost chuckled to myself in recalling that even back then she was announcing the birth of Jesus and the Good News of His arrival. Now, she’s do it from the pulpit and in her shepherding of the congregation’s children preparing them to live Christ centered lives as well.
The second thing that I thought about as I was preparing the blessing for the conclusion of today’s activities was the fact that God has entrusted the care of three of His children to us – Kristin, Jill and Andrew. Yes, we are their human parents but God created them, as we are told in Psalm 139 and while we have always known that it is a privilege to be parents, today was clearly a reminder of the trust that God placed in us to raise Godly children.
I am also a firm believer that there are many biblical truths that have come into play with Kristin’s advancement in the church. First of all, God doesn’t waste anything – and this means that everything Kristin has experienced in her life has helped to bring her to this time and place. Secondly, God never moves us on to a different assignment until we have learned whatever it is that we are supposed to learn in our current position. Clearly, Kristin must have mastered her lessons and God now sees fit to advance her to another ministry position. I honestly never even considered that she would return to the place that it started so many years ago… what a thrill it was to see it happen!
To say that Janet and I are proud of her is an understatement. Yes, we are proud of all three of our children, but today’s recognition belongs to Kristin. I remember how moved I was when my studies were completed and I was ordained. I saw the same excitement in Kristin and it was wonderful to finally see her in a pastoral robe and presented with her first stole by the congregation of the church! God is good!
There are numerous verses that I could use tonight – but today was really about calling and the complicated plans that God pre-ordains for each of us – bending our will to His as He orchestrates our lives in accordance with the gifts, passions and style that He has endowed each of us with. In the book of Jeremiah, we are told that God speaks to the prophet in one of the most famous verses in the Bible. God tells Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 29:11-13, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
My encouragement this evening is that God has a special place in His heart for each of us. When we listen to the Holy Spirit, we are guided to our special place in God’s plan. My prayer is that each of us will listen with intensity and follow the steps that have been ordained for us. Then, maybe all of us can be as fulfilled and satisfied with our lives, leading people to Jesus, as Kristin is. Congratulations, Kristin, and may God abundantly bless you and your ministry throughout all the days of your life. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…