A day I dreaded . . .

Seven years ago a young man fresh from seminary became my associate.  At the time there were those who were not sure I would be able to work with another pastor -- Lord knows, I am set in my ways and deeply concerned about every aspect of the parish.  Today is his last day as my associate.  The Lord has called him to another part of the vineyard.  It is a day I have dreaded since I first came to appreciate this man and his gifts as a pastor.  Though I know I am not easy to live with, he found a way and, more than just working together, he and his family were part of our whole family -- in ways more than I could ever expect.  He came first a stranger, a young man growing into the office of pastor, but he leaves with my deepest respect as an excellent preacher, a man who has proven himself to be more than a colleague -- a trusted friend and confidant whose judgment I have come to appreciate and count on on in ways I am not sure he knows.  

I am sure that the parish where he is headed has no idea how blessed they are to have him and I know that this parish and I know how deeply he will be missed and how profoundly he affected us and our life together as a church.  In my mind I wish him all the best but in my heart I am not ready to say goodbye.  Quite frankly, I had come to expect that it would be me who would be leaving for retirement and he who would be continuing in this place long after I was gone.  Our plans are not God's and His ways are not ours.  Everyone who knows this also knows how hard it is to hope and pray for something only to have the Lord move in another direction.  

So that is where I find myself today.  I will dread going to the church to see his empty office.  I am not sure I am want to carry the whole responsibility alone again -- without his partnership in the Gospel -- but I know that I have no choice and will do what must be done.  While I know that the Lord is still Lord and that His Church is never ours to own but only ours to serve, we struggle with plans and hopes and dreams that help us see our place in that future.  So I covet your prayers today -- for Grace Lutheran Church, for wisdom and guidance to the pastor whom God has in store for us, for patience and courage as we sort out this all out in the next weeks and months, and for me.  But do not also forget to pray for him and his family and the parish he will serve.  Hidden in the future will be the right person God has in mind for us and along the way a bit of discovery for us as a parish and me as a pastor.  That said, my time of active service is nearer the end than the beginning and I will never work with another partner in ministry as long as I was privileged to work with Dan Ulrich.