It was June, 2008 and the occasion of my first retirement. We 12 retirees at the Wisconsin Annual Conference were each given 3 minutes to address our audience of mostly new clergy. I was the only person to stick to our three minute limit. Here’s what I said:
“First, because the church gives you the privilege of holding in your hands the spiritual lives of a group of people, the church has a claim on you. If it says you must attend school or training, you must do that. If the Bishop says you must move, you must move. You have promised to do that when you came in and if you can’t keep your promises, then go do something else, something you can do. Sell toasters or something.
“Second, if you hear yourself say the words ‘My Ministry” more than once a year, take a good look in the mirror. This is not about you. It’s about GOD and THEM.
“Third, show up. Show up physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Someone told me years ago that ministry happens during the interruptions. When someone came into my office, they were there for a reason, even if they didn’t know the real reason themselves, so I got up from behind the desk–so my eyes would not stray to papers on the desk and signal to the visitor that the papers were more important than they were–and I came around to a chair opposite the visitor with a small table between us. I worked to be fully present. The paperwork will get done; that’s the nice thing about God’s economy.
“I wish all of you the best of God’s blessing in your coming years of ministry.”
All these years later, I still think those thoughts are valid. God blessed–and continues to bless–what I do in the name of God.