“There are different gifts. But it is the same Spirit who gives them. There are different ways of serving God. But it is the same Lord who is served. God works through different persons in different ways.
But it is the same God who achieves the divine purpose through them all. Each one is given a gift by the Spirit to use it for the common good. Together we are the body of Christ and individually members of him. We are called by God to be the Church of Jesus Christ, a sign in the world today of the new life that God intends for all. In our life together, we are to display the new reality that sin is forgiven, reconciliation accomplished, and the dividing walls of hostility torn down.
The ministry of the church is shared by pastor and people, so that all together may fulfill the mission to which we are called by Jesus Christ. The particular responsibility of the Teaching Elder as Minister of Word and Sacrament is to build up the church and serve the people of God, so that the Word may be rightly proclaimed, and the sacraments rightly celebrated.”
These words were spoken immediately prior to a lot of promises back and forth between me and the church at my installation service. I’ve been reflecting on them a lot, and on the promises, and I’ve found some remarkable beauty in them for a few reasons.
As we formally mark the beginning of my new role, we do so with the acknowledgment that my primary job is to build up the church and serve the people of God. And why? So that we might proclaim the Word and celebrate the sacraments. As we all bring our various gifts (they come with us … we don’t have to earn them or find them, as they are part of who we are), my job, and the job of each of your pastors, is to help you use your gifts to celebrate God’s forgiving love and live into our calling of a shared ministry in Jesus. I hope you noticed what I said there about your gifts … each of us have gifts that our Creator has given us to enable us to be a part of God’s mission. What a joy it is for us to help you find your gifts so that you, the church, can live out those gifts in our ministry.
Of all of the promises I made to the church in my installation service, the one that always stays with me (and is also shared by all ruling elders, teaching elders, and deacons) is the commitment to serve with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love. I love this promise because it reminds me where my energy should be going. I’ve committed myself to serving the church and God in ways that will utilize my mind, my heart, and my soul. I hope I’ve been doing that, but answering the questions again has reminded me of the importance of this and all of the promises!
One final thought as I reflect on the installation service and on my perspective on ministry at Pinnacle. I often return to the Pinnacle Mission Statement when I consider where my time and energy goes. My goal is to tie everything I do, in some way, back to the mission of our church:
In the heart of the Sonoran Desert, Pinnacle Presbyterian Church invites all people to hear God’s story and experience God’s love expressed in the life of Jesus Christ; and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we strive to equip the generations with the practices of our faith.
At the foot of the mountain we created a sanctuary. We come together as God’s people, reaching out to make a difference in one another's lives, in our community, and around the world. We express our faithfulness through excellence in worship, the arts, serving meals, building homes, crossing borders, and nurturing children and youth.
We are people who know the power of forgiveness, joy and love.
The Mission Statement, adopted in 2008, is our shared ministry put into writing. This is who we’ve chosen to be, in answering God’s call on our lives. My hope in the coming months and beyond is that we can look to this beautiful statement and see it as our guide as we bring our gifts together and use them to bring Glory to God.
Friends, the journey both begins and continues, and I couldn’t be more honored to be a part of it alongside you, in shared ministry.
