The Year of Lasts

One of my recently-retired colleagues described his final year of ministry as The Year of Lasts. While it is true that I am now within the borders of my last year, I am not finding “the lasts” to be particularly fraught. For example, Christmas Eve, 2024, was my last Christmas Eve as an active pastor. I was neither flooded with memories of Christmases past, nor anxious that this one had to be spectacular. In fact, my prayer was: “Loving God, let me be free to live in the moment and have a good time celebrating Christmas Eve.”

This coming Sunday is Baptism of the Lord Sunday. I am grateful that this beautiful day, and the Rite of Renewal of Baptism for a Congregation, has been included in the recently revised Book of Common Worship. The rite of renewal is not one I grew up with. I suspect you did not experience it either until recent years. Its purpose — to remind us all just how breathtaking it is to receive a “sign” of God’s eternal love for us, and to be “sealed” in the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit — makes it truly a holy day in my mind and heart. So I look forward to celebrating it with you, as we have together for more than 20 years. This one does not feel like a “last” because it is about God’s loving mercy, “new every morning”.

Please plan to stay after worship this Sunday as we meet to elect a Nominating Committee to seek candidates for Ruling Elder, and, later this year, to seek a Pastor Nominating Committee that will work to recommend the next pastor for the MBPPC congregation. Also, I will share the details of my retirement plans, and the activities we can share between now and that day.

In Christ,

Lee