I spoke about tying up loose ends in my previous post. Well, ends have been tied and my days of serving that particular church as its associate pastor have ended. My last Sunday was a very emotional one—especially because of all the beautiful things that people had to say. It has occurred to me that I may have the only copies of some of those things, and that other folk might want to read them—so even though my humble nature screams out in protest, I'll post them here.
SENTENCES FOR REVEREND JOSH SANDER UPON HIS LEAVING OUR CHURCH
For the generous and joyful spirit, which you’ve shown us, we thank you.
As we are all God’s children, you have called out to the child-like and the childish to join you: we thank you for your light.
For the contagiousness of songs sung at Silver Lake, brought into the sanctuary, we thank you for lifting our spirits in a new and joyful song.
For bringing cymbal, guitar and video into worship, you have shown us a new way to conduct ourselves and to keep ourselves alive! At five! Thank you for this new life-style.
For worship through stories, myths, fables and rock lyrics, we have tried to look at God’s work in different ways.
We see a striving and hope with the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, for freedom from oppression. You have lead us into Narnia with Prince Caspian to seek justice.
For those who have had ears to listen, and eyes to see the myth-reality of the world gone mad of C.S. Lewis, we thank you for our sojourn into fantasy. It has quickened our spirits and enriched our souls.
For Dragon Pastor’s Hyperdrive, for poetry and video and bloggy sights and sounds, we thank you for your wit, your resourcefulness, your love of whimsey and your loving kindness for all people. For little people, for big people, for young people, for old people and shut-ins, for [oh my gosh! Teenagers! Aaargh!], we thank you for your love of gays and lesbians, for handicapped and autistic, for under-privileged and even the over-indulged. You have been a blessing to us.
You have led us on a journey, and not just on Christmas and to homage, but on a journey in earnest to love one another as Christ loves us.
Do we need a labyrinth to remind us of our lives of prayer and reflective meditation? The convoluted lives we lead and the myriad thoughts we have cannot match the wonder of your thoughtfulness. From insecurity and unsure footing and jump-starts of your ministry, we have seen you weave a tapestry, a rubric of relationships that rival any labyrinth of thought and reflective deed, so that your sermons have grown stronger, your voice has grown in confidence and your faith, certainly has expanded and matured. And oh, yes, we shall remember to be good to one another, as you have told us to be many times.
Thank you, Josh.
Poem for Josh
The love that is in you,
Transferred like communion to the heart
I take
While God's in everything and everything's in you
I have thoughts of you
Still wandering the high school halls
And church aisles.
Your feet have never failed you
they brought you through and past any terror
They brought you here.
Yet, with your faith
You've taken all of us on a trip
You brought us through and past any terror
A congregation's mirror
There's so much beauty and change shining through.
With grateful souls, we thank you.
God's in everything and everything's in you
Be good to each other
Rev. Josh
051309
