A WORD FROM YOUR PASTOR
How wonderful it is to be back in your midst! The only difference is that this time I can drop the “interim” label, and with gratitude and humility, step into the role of being your Pastor full-stop. The reality of this new beginning hit me when I arrived in the office on Tuesday and opened the official letter from the New England Synod approving your call and granting me the authority and privilege to serve as your Pastor.
We will get to celebrate all this on October 1st, of course, when we gather at 4 p.m. in our sanctuary to mark this new chapter in our shared ministry. I am touched by the fact that so many of you have for weeks been hard at work in planning for this event. I know that it will be a joyous occasion and I hope and pray that you can come.
The Dean of the New Hampshire Conference of the New England Synod, Pastor Kim Hester, will be presiding over the rite of installation. And I have invited my good friend, the Rev. Dr. Richard Simpson, to preach. Rich is a fellow Episcopal priest who serves as the Canon to the Ordinary (Episcopal-speak for “Chief of Staff”) to Bishop Doug Fisher of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts. I invited Rich to preach not merely because he is a friend and fine homilist, but more importantly, because he is a leading spokesperson for the importance of Lutheran-Episcopal collaborations such as ours as one manifestation of an emerging ecumenical and reforming spirit in Christ’s Church.
Since 2001, the ELCA and the Episcopal Church have been in full communion, with clergy being able to move across denominational lines to serve and learn from each other. But it has only been recently that churches from both traditions have started to seriously engage with the rich possibilities of such partnerships. Holy Trinity has the opportunity to be a real pioneer in this new adventure. I so look forward to exploring with you what such a theological collaboration might look like for our community, as we draw on the very best of both the Lutheran and Episcopal traditions. What I suspect we will learn is that we can do so much more when we are working together!
Before we get to October 1st, however, we have two Sundays of worship to get reacquainted. I will be presiding and preaching this coming Sunday (Sept. 17) and look forward to seeing as many of you as can make it. And please try to wear nametags as Pat and I will need some help in remembering everyone and getting to know you even better!
In Christ’s peace, Pastor Luther