Acts 1. In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ForJohn baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

So. I signed another contract with the Smyrna Session, marking my second anniversary as Interim Pastor. This will (almost) certainly be the last contract I sign; while three years isn’t really that long for a church to be ‘in transition,’  it is rather long for an Interim Pastor to serve, at least in Presbyterian circles.

Sometimes it's just too easy.

Since this is the Easter Season, I have been thinking a lot about the post-resurrection stories of Jesus. After he was raised from death back to life, Jesus was a busy fellow; turning up in several places to meet with the disciples. The first few of these appearances were mostly for show – for demonstration purposes; in the cemetery, and in the locked upper room, the amazing thing was just that Jesus was there - alive. 

But these appearances quickly develop an agenda: Jesus helping the disciples prepare for what was to come. There were things they needed to know, to understand – so Jesus taught them, interpreting scripture in a radically new way; there were things they needed to hear, and say – and Jesus spoke to them, and demanded from them a response. They needed to start looking for – preparing for - what would come next, so Jesus promised them a new counselor, as he arose out of sight, leaving them staring after him, thinking, what ever shall we do?

That’s right: 
the Risen Christ was an Interim.

I especially like that last image – I imagine the congregation assembled in the parking lot, gazing after my belching rattle can Volvo as is putters off into the sunset…

I may need to get the injection pump checked.

Seriously, I have been thinking a lot about this; my Call and my job, not the ‘Jesus was an Interim’ thing. I have been pondering how my position fits into what my Catholic friends call the Christian Vocation.

One does miss out on some things being Protestant.

We Presbyterians tend to have a pretty high sense of Call, especially when it comes to what we call Teaching Elders. We used to people like me call Ministers of the Word and Sacrament, before that became too much of a mouthful and we went back to the future with a traditional title. A Teaching Elder, for example, does not have a contract with a church; they instead agree to Terms of Call, which includes not just basic compensation, but much more - it is actually a covenant in which both pastor and congregation promise to care for one another. While Terms of Call may be negotiated by smaller groups within the church, the Call itself is extended to a Teaching Elder by an act of the congregation, and ratified by the Presbytery; as such, it is not easily rescinded. But for us Interim Pastors, the work, and thus the ‘Call’ are not quite the same.

What’s the dif? you might ask. 

Especially if you’ve just arrived from 1919. 

Both preach, Both run meetings, and visit sick people; 

what the heck?

Ah, but it is different - very different. For the Interim, the relationship is not defined by a covenant with the congregation; but rather by a contract with the Session, which outlines specific responsibilities and covers a set period of time. Instead of defining ministry in terms of deepening relationships and expanding programs, the Interim’s task is delineated by a sort of checklist: saying the things the congregation needs to hear; teaching them things they need to learn; encouraging them to do the things they need to do, to prepare for what God has in store for them. These, along with other benchmarks, help the Interim gauge how close the congregation is to that next transition, the one that leads to a new Call.

Of course, one can argue such things come under the heading of ‘God’s Time,’ and I do – often with myself.  And it’s true the process of discernment has led the Smyrna Session to consider new models of ministry, and that takes time, especially if you want to do it right. But the clock is running – I can feel it.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m having a ball.  Worship at Smyrna is just a delight – I have more fun in the pulpit than anyone really should (including probably me); meals and receptions are great; and even the mundane meetings about which we preachers like to complain are mostly fun. And, truth be told, there are some definite perks to being an Interim; I get to be myself, but in the best way;

Thank you.

I get to go with my best stories, reconstruct my best sermons, trot out all my very best examples; I get to answer questions not just honestly, but candidly, without the hesitation that comes along with a vested interest in a long term pastoral relationship; in short, I have the luxury of calling things as I see them, without worrying somebody won’t like it and will then make my life miserable. After all, I’m just a temp; if you don’t like what I’m telling you, you can take comfort in knowing that soon my belching rattle can Volvo will be puttering off into the sunset for the last time.

Don't forget me, Preacher!

  

Truth be told, my checklist is largely complete. After looking hard at themselves, and looking out into the community, these folks are pretty much ready to go. There is restlessness here, in the church, a longing for the kind of relationship with a minister that can only develop over time. 

Just kidding.

It’s getting to be time for the Smyrna to form the kind of open-ended relationship that leads to deep and lasting connections; and that just isn’t in my job description. I don’t know just when, but the days are coming for a new Call here at Smyrna.