Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 148, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35
Prepared by The Rev. Dr. Kim McNamara
5 Easter May 18, 2025
In our reading from the Book of Revelation, the author, John, describes his vision of the Apocalypse; the end of the world as we know it. John writes that when the old earth and the first heaven have passed away, a new heaven and a new earth await us. Although Christian believers know a terrible ending is in the future for the earth, our belief is that “God’s just and merciful government of the whole creation” emerges from that ending. We are assured that in the end, God reigns supreme and Christ, who died, is alive forevermore and has the power to overcome all evil. In this new heaven, the home of God will be among the mortals and God will be with the people. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.
The Book of Revelation is filled were hidden messages, message of hope hidden from the human rulers that persecuted the early Christian community. The messages are a trumpet call to the persecuted, assuring them that despite the worst humans can do, God reigns supreme, and the people will find their home with God. This vision of heaven has motivated the people of the Christian Church for two thousand years.
Rev. Vicki and I would like to use our readings today to explore endings and beginning because, here at St. Hugh, we are rapidly moving into an ending. As your current clergy team, Karen and I are preparing to transition out of our leadership roles in the next year. It feels like the entire church has been in the middle of endings and beginnings for sometime. When our previous bishop, Greg Rickle, left us, it took some time before we could select and ordain our new diocesan Bishop, Phil LaBelle. In that middle space between the ending and the beginning, our Provisional Bishop Melissa Skelton spent time with us helping us understand and use the ending time after the departure of Bishop Rickel to prepare for a new beginning. Bishop Skelton used the work of William Bridges to explore the concept of transitions with us.
Bridges explains that a transition involves three stages: an ending, a neutral zone, and then, a beginning.
As the current keepers of the Total Common Ministry model here at St. Hugh, Syl, Vicki, Karen and I have been keenly aware of our upcoming ending. We worried that our current model of ministry would not survive another transition. Until a year ago, there seemed to be no one in our congregation interested in becoming our next locally-called clergy team. Today, however, we are filled with the possibilities of a hopeful resurrection. Three people from St. Hugh have been identified and called to clergy. We have submitted the portfolios of Donna, Sherrie and Tia to our new Bishop for evaluation as our next clergy team. St. Hugh has entered the neutral zone of our transition.
Given the name, Neutral Zone, you might think we would be in a place of idle waiting. The waiting part of this zone is aptly named. We are waiting and this waiting is already testing our patience. We do not have a road map for the journey we have already begun. Our process of transition is marked by uncertainty because the Bishop’s office is new. They are creating a new team, themselves; a new team that has never been involved with a locally-called clergy transition. We will learn together. As it turns out, three of the remaining Total Common Ministries in the diocese are in the process of calling new clergy teams. We are a community making this journey together.
Just like the journeys of God’s people in the past, it turns out that God has provided us with a community of other travel companions, as well as resources for our journey. God has provided us with manna for our journey. Our manna will be the bread of wisdom. The diocese has received a grant from the Lily Endowment to create a training program for lay leaders serving congregations with part-time clergy. Several of us have already participated in some of the training. Donna, Sherrie, Tia, Marlene, Linda, Robbin and I have already been attending Iona workshops as we began to prepare for our transition. I have been asked to serve on the guiding coalition of people who will create the lay leadership training. Each of you will be asked to participate in training and in the decision-making process as we move forward. Together, we will be using the tool of discernment to examine and develop the future roles of clergy and lay leaders here at St. Hugh. Looking ahead, our neutral zone will be anything but idle.
Donna, Sherrie and Tia have begun the process to become ordained in the Episcopal Church. Their portfolios will be assessed in the next two months, and they will be assigned coursework as determined by the diocese and will begin their studies this fall. Syl, Vicki,Karen and I will support the newly forming clergy team during this transition. We will also be working with our lay leaders from St. Hugh to help them identify and obtain the training they will need to make this transition successful.
We have a vision. We have a community. We have a destination. Together, all of us will create the map. Our journey has begun. “See, we are making all things new.”