Two Years of Ordained Ministry

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

Dear siblings in Christ,
              As we are entering into September and the school year for many is beginning to ramp up, I can’t help but reflect a bit on the begging of September just a couple of years ago. Two years ago, I was putting the finishing touches on the plans for my Ordination service and I am still very grateful for all of you here at Saint Paul’s who helped to get the church ready to host the joyous event celebrating God’s call on my life to be a pastor, and for answering the call to be your pastor. September 9th will mark my two year Ordiversary (Ordination anniversary), where I was ordained into the roster of Word and Sacrament and officially became a pastor. The above scripture is often used within the right of ordination, at the moment when the stole is placed over the ordinands shoulders with the accompanying words “Receive this stole as a sign of your work, and live in obedience to the Lord Jesus, serving his people and remembering his promise” to come to Jesus with the heavy burdens and he will give rest and to take his yoke and learn from him.
             These past two years have been full of so much learning and growing together as I continued to grow into the kind of pastor that God has called me to be walking along side and with our congregation as we continued to follow God’s call of how we as Saint Paul Lutheran, here in Clinton are being called to embody and share God’s love out in our community and throughout the world. One thing that has stuck with me from the beginning of my time with you all, and even starting when I was first interviewing with the call committee is just this profound sense of welcome that I experienced and that I have witnessed being shared with others, whether with people wanting to check out worship or joining us for our community meals. There is a sense of welcome here that seems to transform quickly to a sense of belonging.
             I have recently read a book by Rev. Kelly Chatman, called To Be Seen and Heard: The Power of Welcome, Safety, & Belonging in the Church. Through the book Rev. Chatman reflected on moments of his life from the time he was a young boy, navigating the realities of being black in America, and how by once wandering into the “wrong” church lead him to the path that brought him a life of ministry, even before he eventually was ordained as a pastor within a predecessor of the ELCA. He shared moments of when he was young and felt that profound sense of belonging and safety, allowing him to thrive, and how that lead him to emulate and strive to create spaces of welcome and belonging for others to feel that same belonging and safety within the communities that he found himself called to throughout his career. There were many moments and thoughts shared within his book that had me thinking that the way in which he has helped to foster that sense of welcome, belonging and safety within the communities that he served, many places that were already working towards being those kinds of spaces before he showed up there, seems similar to the hopes and goals that I feel shared here within our own congregation. We do our best to welcome in everyone just as they are and continue to invite them back, not because we want more butts in our pews, but because we want a chance to get to know more of our community and expand our own expression of God’s beloved community right here in Clinton. It is more than just welcoming and inviting people back but also, sharing in that sense of belonging and safety. There was one part from Rev. Chatman’s book that stuck out to me, where one church leader came to him with concern that there were people who were eating potato chips during the service, and after the initial shock of “how dare someone eat during worship” he remembered that “people in church eating potato chips is not a problem. People in church eating potato chips is a sign that they feel comfortable to be themselves in their faith community. It is a sign of a congregation attracting new people who are not confined by old definitions of church” (pg. 73). What a beautiful thought and image of people feeling safe and comfortable within their community of faith to be truly who they are safe to eat if they happen to be physically hungry during worship.
             As we begin our third year of ministry together, I continue to look forward to the ways in which God continues to call our congregation to expand our welcome to the larger Clinton community and work towards providing that sense of safety and belonging to all whom we may encounter while sharing and showing God’s love out in the world. Though I am called to be your pastor, you all are also called to share God’s love out in the world as well, so let me ask you, how are you being called to share the sense of welcome, safety, and belonging that you find here at Saint Paul’s?
God’s Peace,
Pastor Tamara Siburg

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