Auf Weidersehen

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night,

Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you

Of course, this verse from The Sound of Music is a corny way to end my brief stint as pastor filling in the vacancy spaces.  Being somewhat particular about language, I note that farewell means “goodbye forever,” while auf Wiedersehen is more to my liking: “See y’all again,” because I am reclaiming my spot in “our” pew.

Actually, the chasuble I’ve been using during Advent and on Christmas Eve explains things far better.  As I said on Advent I, my irreverent professor at the Philadelphia Seminary called it a liturgical horse blanket.  It represents nothing more than a fancy poncho worn during Roman times, symbolizing the transient nature of a pastor’s presence among God’s called people.  Simply said, we come and go.  It’s to put the focus on the message the pastor brings; it’s never our word, but rather God’s word that has center stage.  That’s another reason we pastors (at least in our and other traditions) wear “liturgical garb” (hear, liturgical drag).  The white gown (called an alb) was the daily garb in Roman times; the stole represents the yoke of Christ.  So the pastor’s word is grounded in that which was recorded/spoken/written almost two thousand years ago.  And that’s important.  This makes me and other clergy angels.

Well, not the sweetly-natured cherubs one would expect.  The word angel comes from the Greek word for messenger.  The focus therefore is not on the person/angel, but the message, which in the Judeo-Christian tradition means bringing the Word of God to bear on our lives.  Our Lutheran heritage is to focus on the Good News of Jesus Christ, recognizing that God’s Word can also come to us as affliction if we are too comfortable with the status quo in our lives.

Shortly Pastor Jeff Gallen will begin the next pastoral chapter in the life of Beautiful Savior.  I urge you to continue to be as welcoming to him as you have been open to me (as a fellow member).  We are not in this process of calling a new pastor alone, for God is the guide, strength, and hope.

From Pastor Richard