A retired priest and I were talking this past week about what
it’s like to leave a parish. As a former Methodist minister, he has a lot of
experience with that. In the Methodist system it is expected that the pastor
will leave after three years or so, and congregations are used to it. That is
not and never has been part of the Episcopal Church. Most Episcopal parishes
hope that their clergy will be around for a while, especially if they like
them. So neither you nor I expected that I would leave this chucrh after
three years. I won’t pretend that this isn’t hard. Even those who have been
through this many times before say that it isn’t easy.
Today’s lectionary readings aren’t much help. As hard as
leaving is, I really don’t think it’s like taking up a cross to follow Jesus. I
have no doubt that you will get through this, especially with the capable
leadership of your wardens and vestry. Jesus will still be in your midst when
you gather on Sunday morning. There will still be a priest to bring Jesus to
you in bread and wine. What comes next is another part of your journey, a
journey you will continue to take with Jesus and one another.
Mark’s Gospel is all about a journey. One of his most
frequent expressions is “on the way.” It was on the way that Jesus asked his
disciples about himself. “Who do people say that I am?” They gave him a variety
of answers. “But who do you say that
I am?” he then asked. Peter spoke for them all. “You are the Messiah,” he said.
Peter got it. Well, sort of. As soon as Jesus started telling them what it
meant to be the Messiah, it all
sounded wrong. Everybody got scared. So Peter took Jesus aside and told him he
was wrong. Jesus threw it right back. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said.
Now if I were Peter – and it’s a good thing to imagine
oneself in these Bible passages – if I were Peter, I would have been pretty
pleased with myself for getting the Messiah part right. So I’d be really put
out when Jesus called me Satan. Some commentators say that Jesus wasn’t really talking
about Peter as Satan but rather fighting the temptation to avoid the cross. Do you
really think that’s what went through Peter’s head? “Oh, well, I realize that
he’s not really calling me Satan, it’s just a figure of speech and he doesn’t
really mean it.” No. Peter would be hurt and silenced.
Peter thought he got it, but he didn’t. He thought he had
figured out which way this road was going to go, where the journey would end,
but Jesus had something else in mind. And when Jesus laid out the map, Peter
got so scared that he tried to change the route. Jesus wouldn’t have any of it,
and told him so.
If someone had told me three years ago that I would be
dean of a cathedral, I would have laughed and silently wondered what they had
been drinking. The fact is, we don’t really know what lies ahead on this
journey. The disciples had Jesus around to tell them, and even they didn’t get
it. All they knew was that there was something very different about this man
who talked like God, and they couldn’t help but follow him, wherever he led
them. That is just as true for our journey of faith as theirs. If we follow
Jesus, we know that we are on the right path.
Peter’s experience tells us something else as well. We need
to embrace the pain and grief of separation. We need to embrace it not because
it feels good, but because it’s real. Jesus taught us that God is fundamentally
relational, the Three in One, and that we are created to be relational as well.
If we didn’t love one another, this wouldn’t be as hard. If we didn’t love one
another, we wouldn’t be the persons that God calls us to be. So it’s okay to
feel the sadness that comes with love.
I didn’t ask my priest friend whether he prefers the Methodist or
the Episcopal system. (I already knew the answer.) Both have their advantages
and disadvantages. When the priest isn’t working out, the Methodist approach
sounds better. When the pastor is a good one, the parish would like him or her
to stick around for a while. The reality is that a congregation learns from
every clergyperson, whether good or ill. The most important thing for any
priest or parish is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus rather than the road ahead,
trusting that Jesus will show the way. That is the only way we will know that
we are on the right path. My prayer for all of you is that you continue to find
Jesus in your midst, and to follow him wherever he leads you. And may the
blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain
with you forever.
[Pentecost 16: Mark 8:27-38.]
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