Sermon: Small Steps and Giant Leaps (Feb 2, 2014)

Sermon: Small Steps and Giant Leaps

On Jan 23, I was interviewed for my ordination. It was the final interview and the last step left for me in this journey toward becoming a fully certified minister. The final interview was not about discerning about whether I am suitable for pursuing the vocation of ministry, or whether ordained ministry is my call. The question for this final interview was about whether I am ready for ministry now, which means, I am fully prepared for a calling or an appointment at any place, at any time. The interview team’s response was a remarkable “Yes!”. The United Church has officially made the final recommendation that I am completely ready.

The interview team consisted of five people, including former moderator Marion Best who also served as a vice-president of the World Council of Churches for eight years. It was my honour to be interviewed by her. Before they arrived, the interview team read all of the documents I submitted, including my mid-term and final self-evaluation of internship as well as the Lay Supervision Team’s report, based on YOUR feedback. Then, based on the submitted documents and on the interview itself – which took two whole hours and was very thorough, I was recommended to be ordained by BC Conference, “Subject to successful completion of all the educational requirements.”

So I am here before you today to celebrate this achievement and to express my deepest thanks to you for all the things you have done, all the things you have given me with such generous support, prayers, encouragements, and paper work * grin *. You made this happen. You have made all of these wonderful things happen for me and for us as community. I am not overstating it; I could never overstate what you have done. You decided to become a learning site and accepted me as your minister and intern. Were it not for you being my congregation and my friends in Christ, perhaps my ordination would still remain as a dream. In the covenanting service last September, I shared with you that, for many young, female Korean theological students, ordination is a very, very high threshold that they can only rarely step across. Therefore, we really need to give ourselves great credit and applause as we celebrate the completion of the internship process. (* applause *)

These day people ask me, “What has been your experience here with us?”

I sense that they ask it not out of curiosity but because they care about me. I sense that they are hoping to hear what I really felt and learned and experienced, to see if they have done their job well, whether they have treated me well, whether our journey together has been good and rewarding for all and for me. My answer is clear and simple and without any vestige of hesitance or pretence. “I have nothing but gratitude for all the things I have learned and received from the Chemainus United Church congregation, … YOU.”  

There have been some hard moments, times of great emotional challenge - we have journeyed through some very dark days together, experienced grief upon the loss of a beloved minister. It was not a journey that I could have taken alone, and I am so grateful that  we all witnessed that story together, supporting each other as we embraced the legacy and gift Fran left for us - her courage, resilience, unyielding optimism and faith. Because we prayed together and suffered together, our blessings are greater. The mature spirituality we gained from this experience taught us to trust that all will be well and all manner of things will be well, in God’s care.

After the final interview, the interview team reported back to the full board about the strengths and gifts for ministry they found in me as follows;

“You bring a fresh theology for the church;

You are authentic, genuine, balanced, courageous, confident, and willing to be vulnerable, self-aware, articulate and poetic;

You listen with compassion to a congregation to meet their needs and lead them;

Your passion, animated conversation, and hope for the church were evident in your interview;

You demonstrate a capacity to lead and empower the church to move into the future.”

And they concluded that I “am a true gift to the church, that the church needs the excitement and vision” that I have to offer.

These days, people ask me, “what’s next?” “What’s ahead of you?” “Where is your journey leading you?”

These questions often lead to deep conversations, and from what people say, the future does not sound always exciting to everyone. Not knowing what’s next, not knowing what’s ahead of us, not knowing what is around the corner, the unknown, unforeseen future is not something we open the door to and welcome and say, ‘Come in, come in.’

Yet, for me, right now, the future is what I am jumping into like a skydiver; I’ve prepared for years to make this next leap.

People have asked me, “Why are you leaving us?”, ever since I expressed that I would not apply for the next vacancy of this church..

People ask me, “Was there anyone who pressured you?” No. As I said, there were some emotionally challenging moments, but no pressure to leave, no real pressure to change. Looking back, I know that I have been appreciated here, that I have met and been mentored by the most wonderful people, but - this is the time. It is time for me to jump – jump into the next step of my life, yet unknown, but I feel such trust in the God who is leading me onward.

I am jumping into the future. I am scared, and thrilled.   

The present is yesterday’s future. Even as we try to hold on to now, we all move inexorably into the future. Are we prepared? Are we well-prepared? Are we preparing ourselves for the future and moving forward to it with knowledge, discernment, goals and visions?

In the next three months we need to prepare for the future. I will do my very best to help us be prepared, ready, and open to what God brings next. My goal for the next three months is to nurture and care for the soil of our church, so that you may feel confident and hopeful as you engage in the search process for your new minister. And when you welcome your new minister in the springtime, his or her gifts will be well-planted, accepted, growing in the fertile earth of this community.  I have had the privilege of growing together from the inside out with you, and I am so happy for the next person to come in my place. Therefore I encourage you, and ask you to open to the future, to anticipate all the good things that God is bringing to you. Count all the gifts and blessings that today and tomorrow have for us and revel in them, love them. Honour and treasure every opportunity and the friendship we weave and make together, and express love to one another. Please give of your best to your beloved church.

Every day, every moment, the future becomes our present.

Let us keep moving forward in the journey that is with us and ahead of us, leading us all to grow from the inside out.

After the message, we will welcome into the membership of Chemainus United Church our dear friend N.

Please give him your warmest welcome with blessings and prayers; feel free to come up and lay your hands on him and give your loudest applause at the end. Celebrate this step taken for his - for our future. Now we arise and sing “Blessed Assurance” as our response.