My beautiful friends,
Our final worship together has arrived so quickly. I have spent the week looking at my service with you from the view of last things and what we have accomplished together.
I spent my last Checking In/Reaching Out on Tuesday. My last Wednesday preparing the Wednesday update and my last Friday working with Jacob in the office on the bulletin. My last pastoral care visit. This Sunday will be my last Sunday worshiping with you. The grief for you and I will continue as the reality of my not being at ACC becomes real by my absence.
This week I went back into the YouTube worship videos and watched the worship service from January 2nd, the Sunday before my first Sunday leading worship. I listened again to Revs. Barry and Julie's message to me of an extravagant welcome and your hopes. I watched it with tears in my eyes, especially when Rev. Julie said, "We love you already." And it has been mutual. In that, your hopes became mine. Some of the stated hopes, we were able to accomplish together and some you will see happen this year.
Rev. Julie said you hoped for ACC to be a vibrant community, standing at the door, and giving people an extravagant welcome. You hoped we would restart the chapel meditation. Your desire was to be the presence of God in this place. You hoped for an all-day retreat. Let’s live the questions program. You hoped to explore the beginnings of the universe and talk about science. Aid in dying, renovating the sanctuary, restarting the carillon, as a message to our community. Please keep up the carillon. The sisters at the monastery love it!
Rev. Barry asked the question, what is ours to do? He said, "In a perfect world we would accomplish all those hopes." Remember, these are your hopes. All it takes is what Barry said, "...what is ours (ACC) to do? To have a courageous faith that is inside and shows up outside. Yes!
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Your faith is built upon the invisible. Remember, God's presence, even when it doesn't feel like it or even when you doubt, is surrounding you and assuring you, I am with you, and you have everything you need. It has always been there and always will be. Be courageous!
We will need courage to separate cleanly. On Sunday, I will be released from serving as your pastor. I honor and follow the ethics set by the denomination that holds my credentials and in my relationship with God. I know, it's difficult to not have any contact with your former pastor and vice versa, especially when our faith is connected by an ethos of relationship. But this way of being allows you and your next pastor(s) to build a strong relationship without me in the way.
There is this idea that we can have contact after one year. It's really longer. It is one year plus, out of respect for my colleagues. It is complicated with my serving as associate conference minister. The details of this relationship will be determined by the conference minister in collaboration with your pastor(s). I will not seek you out in any form, including social media.
Please know this, although you are out of my presence, you are still in my heart and in my prayers.
God bless you. God keep you. God loves you.
Many blessings,
Pastor Celeste
