"Looking forward to the future and having regard to the past..."

It seems to me that from the comments of the speakers as we look back to the past and forward to the future - prayer has played and continues to play a large role in our mission. Given the concept that "what we believe is expressed in what and how we pray" - it came to mind that what guides our mission is that we are a church that is "waiting". And our prayers and Scripture remind us that it is an "active waiting in joyful hope" for the Lord to return.

The two forms of prayer that guide the church - and that are important and essential to us as priests as well as to the all the faithful — are the Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharist. In these two structures we have a built-in rhythm of having regard to the past and looking forward to the future.

It is a rhythm and structure that allows us one year each year. The Lord for whom we wait did not come back last year, but he might this year. Within this rhythm we are reminded how God has worked in the past and how humankind has lived in relationship with God and the expectations for how we are to live in the present and the future. It is a rhythm of birth/creation - life - work - rest - love - denial - forgiveness - death and resurrection.

The rhythm of our prayer begins each year in Advent with the prayers and scriptures reminding us that we are waiting and how we are to wait. Then we jump quickly into the memories of Jesus' ministry on which our ministry is modeled. Although they are not always exact parallels to our experiences, the scripture accounts of Jesus' ministry can resonate with realities we have known in our ministry as priests.

Perhaps if we can think back to when we were ordained we can recall the high hopes and excitement when we began our ministry and see a parallel with the beginning of Jesus' ministry. There is the intense presence of the Spirit — the wonder of holy things happening through us — the freshness of something new beginning — the pride of our home faith communities.

Yet in the midst of all of this, Jesus encounters the powers with whom he will tangle with for the rest of his life — the Roman government who arrests John the Baptist and later will come after Jesus — there is the home congregation that initially delights in his ministry and then turns against him when he begins to preach the inclusive grace of God.

I cannot help but wonder if Jesus was ever tempted to ask, "Why did I ever begin this ministry in the first place?" We believe Jesus to be fully divine and fully human and part of being fully human I think is to question if we are doing the right thing — especially when we run into opposition and resistance of a some times hostile world — and even among ourselves as a presbyterate and as a church. As did Christ — at such times of opposition we pray and wait and trust in joyful hope.

An image that I called to mind when reflecting on what I have heard during the Convocation is something I saw outside my window this past fall. There was an old stooped-over man going down the hill — meeting and passing a young couple pushing a baby in a stroller going up the hill. In that image I saw the rhythm of life captured in a moment — there were the two bookends of life — the old and the very young — with the young couple in between.

I think what I have heard this week as we look to the future is how do we as a church help the people this image represents? How do we help them with their rhythm of life? How do we help the old with health care and dignity of fife and their loneliness and grief.? How do we educate the young and — give them hope — and pass on the faith? How do we help those in between with their lay ministry of the home and work place — to be good moms and dads — to be holy people — symbols of hope — doers of justice — and lovers of God? It seems to me that what I have heard from our history is that this has always been our mission — and will continue to be the work of the church as we wait.

As priests who have gathered here to express our hopes and concerns for the future — I think that in many ways a great hope is that as priests the future is suspended for us. By this I mean that unlike the lay people, we are given a freedom not to have to worry about our personal temporal future and thus are able to focus on the present. The lay people to a large extent — live future oriented lives — both in a temporal and spiritual sense. There is the planning for their day-to-day affairs — but planning as well for their children's future — their future retirement — and for many the immediate future of their next meal or a place to sleep.

Our freedom from such future planning gives us the gift of time — time to spend with and listen to the old — to spend time with and teach the children — and walk with and support all those in between the bookends of life. Perhaps when we do not see that being done it is when we are out of rhythm with each other — as a church — or with God.

Jesus did not return last year — but he might this year. If he does, and we are faithful to prayer and in rhythm with his life and with each other that our prayer calls us to — then we can continue to look forward to the future. If he does not return within the rhythm of the seasons this year then we will have been encouraged once again from the past to wait in joyful hope for the future.

Continuing Education for Clergy, Diocese of Owensboro

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