The day before my installation, I sent my daughter, Suzanne, a picture of our family stove and a quick note that I was being installed as Lead Pastor at Resurrection, as a gentle form of humor.  Her comment was that I should have used an image from a better stove, like a Wolf Convection Oven. It was the one she used when working as a pastry chef at a guest ranch in Colorado last summer.   A Wolf stove is first class and will serve the people well for many years.

As I reflect on her comments, I hear wisdom. Resurrection deserves and needs the best from its staff.  And I do want to serve the people of Resurrection for many years.   I know from my experience at St. Andrew’s that ministry and trust build over time.  There are rarely instant solutions or fixes, particularly when one is dealing with the intricate network of relationships within a congregation.   Patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit that is often ignored in our instant culture.

I also know that the real power of a stove comes from outside, either gas or electricity.  I am praying that I will remain steadfast in remembering that all my power and all the power of Resurrection comes from outside of us.  As Bishop Rogness read yesterday, “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to your through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.”  I Timothy 6:14

How do we together keep from neglecting the gift of the Holy Spirit?