Tuesday, February 2, 2016

End of an Era

Confession time:  It is not easy for me to admit that the world is changing.  I am tempted toward to denial as a coping mechanism.  Continuity between the past, present, and future is comforting.  Endings are hard, for I tend to hold tightly to memories of what has been--the people and places where I have served.  Lord, have mercy!  Christ, have mercy!  Lord, have mercy!

When I was in junior high, Clarence Hengstenberg knocked on our door and asked whether I would be interested in working for him.  Mr. Hengstenberg, a former dairy farmer, was now a milk distributor for Central Dairy.  He delivered milk every evening, except Sunday, to homes around the community.  He hired me for $6.60 a week--a dollar and a dime a night--to be one of his four delivery boys.  We literally ran the milk cartons to the door, sliding across icy porches and slipping past growling dogs.   This was my first real job. 

Imagine how it felt a couple of weeks ago when a newspaper in Missouri ran the story of the end of home deliveries by Central Dairy:  Central Dairy Closes Door on Home Delivery.  With that announcement came the end.  Folks no longer need a milk delivery at their doors.   We do not live by milk alone.  Milk deliveries are not going to keep senior citizens living in their own homes longer.  We might as well buy the dairy at the Walmart across town.  Home delivery no longer made sense in Central Dairy's business plan.  The world has changed.  My first job isn't being done by anyone in Mid-Missouri now.  It's over.

Now, I wonder about ministry, including this specialized ministry called "Conference Ministry."  It began with the stirring of the Spirit and with the call of Jesus who said, "Come, follow me."  The calling of the twelve disciples and the commissioning of the seventy apostles were always favorite stories at Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.  The old hymn, "Where He Leads Me I Will Follow," runs deep in my spirit.  And just look where Christ has led me!

I wonder whether the day is here when the headlines Saturday's Concord Monitor tell of the end of another era.  For me, ministry has been anchored in a call that takes us to the doors--of congregants, of hospitals and nursing homes, of the poor, and of the dying.  Ministry, even Conference Ministry, is about being face-to-face with those whom Christ also loves.  For nearly thirty-five years, my ministry has involved preaching, praying, and being present with people.  It has included service and sacrifice.  It has been a source of joy.

That understanding of ministry seems antiquated today.  Many in the pews of our churches no longer expect such things of their ministers.  It's not how we do things in a digital world.  Why would a minister take the time to drive (or fly) somewhere to be with someone in their sorrow or suffering?  What a waste of resources!  Sending an email or posting on Facebook should be sufficient now.  Real ministry happens on the screens of our devices.  

From my first job to my present one, I sense that I may well be at the end of an era.  What I have done others may not do or even value in the future.  But of this I am confident:  I have followed One whose story ends in resurrection.  I have this powerful assurance that the Christ who calls me still makes house calls and heart calls.  I have this hope--this empowering hope--that God is present in every ending and brings life in the midst of death.  I have this hope in my living and in my dying:  God is faithful even at the end of an era.

 

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