From the Pastor’s Desk

Saludos me amigos y feligresas de iglesia! I am writing from the garden of the house where I stay during my bi-annual trips to Mexico. I am here to continue my Spanish languages studies, and to have a couple of weeks of respite. It is nice in Mexico today. We had rain in the night, but the clouds are now breaking up and it is going to be a lovely, warm day. We have a cookout planned for the afternoon and it looks as if the weather is going to cooperate.

For the first time in my years of traveling to Mexico I have enhanced my ability to communicate with home. I bought the international ser vice for my Iphone; it was not expensive. So, I have been able to call Joan and my mom a couple of times. They seem to be much appreciative. (Mom told me it was 17 degrees in Tulsa and she was not interested in hearing how warm and lovely it is in Mexico!)

The interesting advantage of having international cell phone ser vice is that I disconnected the satellite data communications in favor of wifi . I am getting my email but am not getting voice mail. I guess all those messages will show up when I come home on Saturday. The advantage of all this is that I have not been able to follow the local news. I watch the national news over the internet, but the local news is a mystery. Considering that I received the “official” message from the Bishop about St. Luke’s “Community” UMC, I am just as glad to not know the local Dallas news.

As is my practice, my time in Mexico is not only respite; I brought work with me. I have just finished reading six sets of papers from six candidates for ordination. This is one of the questions they have to answer:

For the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the world and the most effective witness to the Christian gospel, and in consideration of your influence as an ordained minister, are you willing to make a complete dedication of yourself to the highest ideals of the Christian life; and to this end will you agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits conducive to physical health, intentional intellectual development, fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness, integrity in all personal relationship, social responsibility, and growth in grace and the knowledge and love of God?

The answer is, of course, “Yes,” although we expect the candidates to be a bit more expressive in their responses.

I have my own opinions about the situation at St. Luke’s. My opinions are “opinions,” therefore not worth much. I know no more about that situation than any of you. But I do have an observation.

Ever y pastor is confronted with those persons of good intent in a church who would place the pastor on a pedestal, and then insist that we live up there. There is then a separation between the ordinary life of a pastor and the ordinary lives of church members. In some cultures that separation is seen to be beneficial and necessary. There have been some in ever y church that I have served who would do the same thing to me. However, I have rejected that manner of pastoral leadership.

I think it is very important for your pastors, and Dana and I are of one mind on this, to be as human as we can possibly be among you. By accepting God’s call upon our lives, and submitting to the wishes and discretion of the Bishop, our lives are separated from you to some extent. But I feel that it is important for us to not allow that separation to grow too wide. We are keenly aware that we are fully flawed and sinful people, just like all of you. And we work very hard ever y day to live better than our sinful nature.

We have all experienced when pastors “buy into” the pedestal life and then begin to believe their own press. When this happens, the consequences are always bad.

The Sunday that I left for Mexico, I preached from the text in Mark where Jesus goes out into a deserted place in the middle of the night to pray. He had experienced a long day, and I suggested that he was worn out and needed some time away. It might be that he needed some self-centering, too. The temptation to return to Capernaum and enter into a localized pastoral ministry of some distinction would have been great. Jesus rejected that option by becoming itinerant. It was the Good News which was important, not personal glory.

This is a thought that Dana and I, as your pastors, live with every day. Thanks to you for accepting us as we are, who we are, and for helping to keep us grounded.

Gracias y paz,

Bill