In the time span of just under two weeks, my family and I were able to witness not one, but two ordinations into the pastoral ministry. What a gift! Prior to these two ordinations, I think it has been 23 years since I had last attended one. That year, we were able to go to several, including my husband's own ordination.
Our church ordained a son of our congregation two weeks ago, and a few days ago, we attended the ordination of our new pastor at his home congregation. Both services were glorious. A few moments from the services that were especially memorable:
- They were a sensory experience! The sights (all the clergy! the ordinand's posture!), the sounds (the glorious, heavenly music! the full singing!), the smells (incense!), and for the ordinand, the feel of each attending pastor laying his hands upon his head.
- All the clergy! Many times, even as a child, I have attended worship services with many pastors in attendance. And even as a child, I can recall the beauty there is in hearing all those faithful men sing a hymn with gusto (and often in parts!). At both of these services, the sight of all the pastors surrounding their new brother and singing their praises was very moving for me.
- My husband preached for the first ordination, and his homily was beautiful (so much so that I listened to it twice!). He wove into the homily the words of the ordinand's sainted grandfather, who was a retired pastor at our church. The beauty of Ed's words, now spoken to his grandson, brought me to tears. One of the quotes he shared was this: "[The pastoral office] is a calling second to none. In joy, in hard work, in satisfaction, in disappointment, in fulfillment and the humbling awareness: We can only plant the seed, nothing more. God, the Lord alone, brings the harvest."
- The Rite of Ordination calls for the ordinand to kneel and also to lay prostrate. At my husband's ordination I remember being very emotional as he lay down on the floor. As these two young men did the same, I was also very moved. The visual is incredibly striking: these men are giving their lives for the church. Lying face down on the floor is an act of vulnerability, an incredible symbol of their humility at the greatness of the vocation they are entering.
- At the first ordination, I was honored to sing in a duet of "How Beautiful". The other gal and I split up the verses and sang two apiece, with me having the last stanza. I have sung this piece many times before and it's always one of my favorites. I didn't give much though prior to the service to which stanzas I would be singing, so I was caught off guard by my emotions as I sang the last verse. While I was singing, I was able to watch the moments-new-servant-of-God prepare the table for communion, the very first time he had ever done so. These are the words I sang, while I watched him serve:
How beautiful the feet that bring,
The sound of good news and the love of the King
How beautiful the hands the serve
The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth
How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful,
Is the body of Christ.
When I sing a solo, I tend to be very single-minded: sing the song to the best of my ability. I don't let myself get caught up in emotion or distraction of any kind, lest I make an error. But not this time. As I sang those words, while watching the very hands serve the wine and the bread and the sons of the earth, I was so moved, so grateful for this new pastor, all pastors, and ultimately Jesus for giving us himself and creating the body of Christ. I am not worthy of His goodness to me.
It will probably be a very long time before I am able to attend another ordination, so I am savoring the still-lingering impressions from these two beautiful services. As my husband quoted in his homily, the pastoral office is a calling second to none. It is full of immense joy, but is also hard work and sometimes heartache. I am so thankful that God called these two young men to do His work, and that they answered with a resounding "Yes!".
