I'm never sure if Advent ever gets done well in my world. Somehow the candles on the wreath get lit. The Advent hymns get sung. Some of them actually seem to prepare our hearts. Others offer hope to a weary world. Frankly,others seem to do nothing more than leave me begging for a good medley of Christmas carols. Finally, Christmas comes as a blessed intrusion into a world which never quite manages to get itself under control.
This year was no exception. After a whirlwind of excitement and emotions spawned by a bishop`s election, after battling week of pre-Christmas crud which I seemed so willing to share with friends and family,after coming to the obvious conclusion that a synod`s great dreams for mission can come true only amid our collective hard work,Christmas appeared at the doorstep with little regard for whether any of us is adequately prepared.
There I was on Christmas eve, caught somewhere between the wide-eyed child who longs for a white Christmas and the pragmatic realist of a senior pastor who rejoices that "it don't cost nothin' to plow rain."
Suddenly, quietly, profoundly, on main street and in out of the way places, the Word somehow wriggles its way into our lives and does not disappoint us. What joy!
In this Christmas season, I must thank you for for the trust which has been placed in my hands as the bishop-elect of the Greater Milwaukee Synod. I remain deeply humbled, am anxious to get started and am strangely confident that we walk well together in the next leg of the journey as God's people in this place.
There are a couple of things items of information which might be helpful at this point. My last Sunday at Holy Communion will be on January 31. I have had such a good run there. The parting will be bittersweet for sure. I am also confident that an interim period will reveal many unexplored possibilities for mission during my tenure and offer the opportunity for someone else to have an equally good run.
Some of January will involve bringing closure at Holy Communion. However, folks here are well aware that this synod thing is sort of like jumping into fast-moving water. While my official transition date may be February 1, January will involve a ton of synod responsibilities, beginning with my attendance at the Academy of Bishops the week of Jan. 3.
Staffing of course will be one of the important pieces. Since we have been short-staffed for so long now,there is some sense of urgency for all of us to put together a great staff. That is tempered by the need to to take adequate time and include people in the process who can help build a staff who will serve us well.
What can help right now is to have input from any of you. Let me know what you think we need in terms of staff. Surface names of people who you think would work well on synod staff. Nominate yourselves if you'd like. You will get very little immediate response, but you will provide valuable information and incite in doing so.
Finally, I urge you all to begin the year joining me in dedicating ourselves to the things which really make a difference-prayer, dwelling in scripture,worship, witness, radical service to others, sacrificial giving. These are the true building blocks of our life together. A blessed Christmas.
Jeff Barrow