A pleasant Sunday afternoon...

I've been sitting here at my computer for the past hour or two, catching up on my email and other computery things from the weekend, after leaving home at 9am yesterday, and only returning home around 3pm today.

The 'pleasant' aspect of the afternoon, is not so much sitting at the computer, but rather the sense of satisfaction and bliss I have after the other things I have been doing this weekend.

Firstly, yesterday the Church Council from my congregation at Brunswick had a retreat at a priory near Diggers Rest (about a half hour drive north of Brunswick). During the course of the day we were encouraged and led in the practice of reflecting on our role of spiritual leadership in our congregation; what it means for us as individuals, and as a whole council.

It was great to get away and think about these things together, as I certainly learned a lot about the other members of the church council during the course of the discussion; the kinds of things that bumping into each other on Sundays at church, or the busy agendas of our church council meetings just don't allow us to explore usually. So it was good, and I came away with a renewed energy to be more present to the rest of my fellow church councillors at our meetings, and in other ways.

But even better than that, was my time in Romsey and Lancefield this morning (and last night). I went straight from Diggers Rest to Romsey to stay with my friend Avril, who is the minister of the Uniting Church congregations in Romsey, Lancefield, Riddells Creek and Mt Macedon. This week Avril was leading worship at Riddells Creek and Mt Macedon, and I was the 'guest preacher' at Romsey and Lancefield.

We had a 'big night on the town' in Romsey, which meant that after a very pleasant dinner at a local restaurant, we were home by about 8pm, with Avril studying the UCA Manual for Meetings, and me putting some finishing touches on my sermon. (... all the while conscious that there were people we both knew in Sydney partying into the night at Mardi Gras... I think we both need to get a life! :-)

I visited Romsey and Lancefield congregations last July, and some of the people today welcomed me as if I were a long lost friend, and commented that they remembered me from last time, and were glad that I was back.

I had a very busy week this last week, and hadn't devoted as much time to preparation for worship as I would normally have liked to, but still things came together in a way that was very humbling. I was lamenting yesterday that I still had some work to do on my sermon, and that I had found the lectionary readings this week very hard to get that spark of inspiration.

(I think the problem was that the Gospel reading, John 9:1-41, was so rich with so many layers of meaning and symbolism, that there were just too many different angles, and no one thing jumped out at me as the thing to run with this week).

In the end, it all came together, and I had a late spark of homiletic inspiration last night that rounded things off rather nicely, and slotted in well with the overall theme of the service that I had planned to create with prayers and hymns. It was a real buzz as I led the faithful folk at Romsey and Lancefield in their services this morning, and noticed the ways that God was present to us all in the worship.

Having just commenced my last year at Theological College, the concept of ordination (and what exactly that means) is currently high on my list of things to think about. Today I was overwhelmed with the sense of "gee, I love my job!" and it made me think that there is something exciting about the prospect of being set apart by dint of ordination to do this kind of work on behalf of the church on a permanent basis.

And yes, I know that there are lots of lay people who lead crackingly great and godly worship on a regular basis too, but for me, personally, I think this ordination thing is finally starting to make some sense (especially the "whatever were you thinking, God, in calling me to this?!?!" kind of questions).

This year, because it's my final year, and there are lots of things (in addition to the academic study stuff) that I need to attend to, I have made a deliberate choice to cut back, and only preach and lead worship on one Sunday a month (which may sometimes mean more than one service per day, but usually only one lot of preparation for all the services of the day).

So last month (Feb) it was at Mount Martha, this month (hmmm... it's only March, and already I have broken my own rule!) I had Romsey and Lancefield today, and next Sunday will be Hastings (in the morning), and Queens College chapel (in the evening)... but then back to normal, 'one-a-month with Riddells Creek, Mt Macedon and Queens again on April 27, and Mt Martha again on May 18.

So, before the academic year even began, my whole first semester was already fully booked with preaching gigs (and I have even managed to say no to a couple of gig I have been offered because I'm booked up)

But, as much as I enjoy visiting the lovely congregations where I have been conducting casual services during the past two years or so, I am really looking forward to the time when I will be able to lead worship every week in the same place (or places- as most colleagues who have gone out into ministry intern placements in the past few years have had more than one congregation or preaching place in their patch), with the same group/s each week, and the chance to build up long term relationships with these folks.... *sigh* only another 11 months or so till that happens.

(I can't believe I'm starting to count down to exit already! - someone please smack me! :-)