An
Inkling
I
just got back from a quarterly pastors meeting, sponsored by Bless
Richmond. While there we broke into
small groups. Here’s who was in my
group:
- William, who pastors a black Pentecostal storefront church
- Janie, an African American Baptist who pastors a south-side church focused on those coming out of addictions, and who is also Co-Pastor of Richmond Hill, a mostly Episcopal retreat center
- Mark, who pastors Grove Avenue Baptist, a mega-church with a TV ministry
- And me, a pastor at St. Giles, and as markedly Presbyterian as my partners were markedly Pentecostal, Baptist, etc.
I also go to pastors meetings
where I have denomination, training, theology, and experience in common with my
colleagues. Both kinds of meetings are
of value, and I learn a lot in both.
But in a meeting like
today’s, where we have little in common but Christ and a pastoral calling, I
see more clearly the power of Christ’s gift of unity. In our small group we shared about our sense
of calling and about the challenges we face.
We hardly know each other, and yet our sharing and prayer displayed a
unity that we can’t manufacture and don’t own.
It’s how the Lord Jesus’
unity works. We need not match each
other in order to have his unity, so long as he is in our midst. In fact, all the more honor comes to him when
we don’t match. And all the more joy comes to us!
Blessings,
Keith
