One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 136. This is a psalm praising God for God’s work in creation and in history. It is a song of triumph about God’s grace and mercy. Primarily, it focuses on God’s gracious actions through the Israelites’ Exodus experience. Throughout the psalm, the chorus, “for his steadfast love endures forever,” is woven into every verse. What a powerful statement of God’s sustaining provision for God’s people!
If the reader did not know the context of what is being referenced, it would appear from this psalm that the Exodus was an effortless experience where the Israelites went from victory to victory. However, when reading the actual account in Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, we realize that this was a difficult journey with many obstacles, failures, and disappointments. I do not think the psalmist was glossing over the troubles of the Exodus or trying to rewrite that segment of Israel’s history. Rather, I believe that with the perspective of time and through a theological lens, the author was highlighting God’s redemptive activity in the midst of the often-messy Exodus journey.
Though this reflection will not be published until the first week of June, I am writing it right after the Transition Seminar has finished. I am well aware that this will be the last time I offer reflections as the Corridor District Superintendent. My heart is filled with gratitude for you and your faithful work for the Lord Jesus Christ. Like the author of Psalm 136, I look over my 5 years of service as a district superintendent seeing the footprints and fingerprints of God. I rejoice in God’s good work in the Corridor District. However, I also realize that it was not always easy. Trials and troubles have arisen. Yet, through it all, God has been faithful. Like the psalmist, I, too, can offer my own stanzas of praise.
I have witnessed the incredible dexterity and creativity as you, the pastors, and the laity of the district, found ways to be the church in the midst of a pandemic. None of us had ever been through something like that before. There were no clear guidelines and procedures on what to do. But each pastor and each congregation found a way to continue worship, extend fellowship, and enter into mission. “For God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
We have been through the flurry of activity surrounding the settlement of lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America. This was a heart-wrenching time. With deep pain and sadness, we acknowledged the effects on victims. With concern, we wondered how the settlement would affect the church’s ability to continue in mission. Yet, in the end, the suit was settled. Boy Scouts continue their work (with a great deal more concern for the safety of participants). Churches continue to support BSA and continue in their Kingdom work. “For God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
The season of disaffiliation was truly difficult. All of us, to some extent, felt the pain of churches, friends, and/or former appointments leaving the denomination. Some have experienced first-hand bitter arguments. Others were forced to move after the congregation they served disaffiliated. There were concerns about the future of appointments, local congregations, and the North Carolina Annual Conference. Yet, today, we remain strong and lean into a hope-filled future. We trust that God is still at work in our mission ministries. “For God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
During the past five years, some of you have experienced illness, grief, ruptured relationships, changes in location, and vocational questions. There has also been healing, consolation, reconciliation, and renewed vitality. “For God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
For all of us, it has not been easy or smooth. Yet, God’s grace and mercy have been showered upon us. “For God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your dedication. Thank you for your ministry. You have been an instrument of God’s continued shaping and forming of my ministry. “For God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
So, as I leave my role as district superintendent, I find myself singing a Psalm 136 song. Our work together has not always been easy, but it has always been blessed.