Order and Hope

In January, we train and install and ordain the officers we elected at the congregational meeting in December. What does "to ordain" mean? It comes from the same root as the word "order." Presbyterians get teased somewhat justifiably for trying to do everything "decently and in order." The image is an organization full of too much bureaucracy, taking too much time in deliberation, keeping around too many documents and minutes of meetings. This is in contrast to a lighter-weight form of government, without committees and focused on "getting things done." We would say that bureaucracy slows things down, but also protects the rights of the minority; we might spend more time in deliberation, but it is in order to have FAIR discourse; we keep minutes in order to hold each other accountable to decisions made. Our worship is ordered, not only our form of government. The phrase "decently and in order" comes from I Corinthians 14; Paul is talking about worship, where people are speaking in tongues and prophesying and even singing. People should take turns, advises Paul, and there shouldn't be too many doing any one thing: only two or three should be allowed to speak in tongues, and if no one interprets, then they should sit down. Though it could be disruptive in excess, Paul encourages prophecy and speaking in tongues in worship but then concludes "but all things should be done decently and in order."

So how does all this relate to "ordination?" In the New Testament, we find many forms of church governance. As the church spread and grew, the form of government had to change and adapt. In the book of Acts, way back when the early Christian church had not yet spread from Jerusalem, there is a story of the church having grown to a size where it was being poorly governed, or at least poorly administered. Widows who were Hebrews were being taken care of by the church, but widows who were Greek were not. The Hellenists, who were Greek, complained that they were being discriminated against--that their widows were being forgotten and neglected. The apostles said, "It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables." They did not mean that serving food was beneath them. They meant that there were others who could do that job, and their own job and calling could not be done by other people. Without judgment, they were saying that "for reasons of order" other people should do this job. They selected Stephen and some others because those people were full of wisdom and compassion and the Holy Spirit and would be good at taking care of everyone. Stephen and friends, thus became the first Deacons, and the apostles, kinda by default, look like the first Elders, taking care of the spiritual development and governance of the church.

We ordain people into different functions of ordered ministry "for reasons of order." We have organized ourselves--we have "ordered" ourselves--into three types of offices: Deacons, Ruling Elders, and Ministers of Word and Sacrament (also called teaching elders). We seek to elect people to these offices according to their gifted-ness and calling. Deacons are gifted with compassion and called to a ministry of service. Ruling elders are gifted with discernment and called to governance. Ministers of Word and Sacrament are gifted with the study of the word and called to teaching, proclamation, and the interpretation of the mysteries of the sacraments. Both Ruling Elders and Ministers of Word and Sacrament are called to participate in governance. Both Ruling Elders and Ministers of Word and Sacrament are gifted with a concern for caring for the people spiritually.

People are ordered through a process beginning and ending with the Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit equips all people, each with their own gifts. We believe the Holy Spirit calls the people who will serve in these offices. We believe the Holy Spirit guides the Officer Nominating Committee and the congregation who votes the candidates into office. The Holy Spirit inspires the compassion of the Deacons and the discernment of the Elders. The Holy Spirit is with us all every time we gather to worship. The Holy Spirit is with us all as we go forth into the world to show God's grace and love.

Back in Advent, we read a passage in Romans 15: "For whatever was written in former days was written for your instruction." It occurred to me later that this doesn't only apply to scripture. The people in the former days of our denomination wrote stuff down, too. We have confessions and a constitution because they wrote it down. Whatever was written down in former days was written for our instruction. The people in the former days of our congregation wrote stuff down, too. We have minutes and descriptions of bequests and trusts because they wrote it down. Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.

Romans continues, "So that by steadfastness and encouragement of scriptures we might have hope." Through the steadfastness of our faith, we might have hope. Through the encouragement of scripture, we might have hope. Through the encouragement of Presbyters and Elders from former days writing the documents and standards of the church, we might have hope. How does that work?

In times of division, we cry out "How Long?" How long will we stay in this state of division? The things written in former days are a testament to people agreeing together. The confessions of the Reformation; The U.S. Constitution; modern confessions; The Book of Order. These are occasions in the past when people agreed on something and wrote it down. They wrote it down so they could remember what they agreed on, just like keeping minutes. Through deliberation and fair discourse, they carefully considered words so that they could remember exactly what they agreed on. They wrote it for their future selves, and they wrote it for us--for our instruction SO THAT (in steadfastness and the encouragement of scripture) WE MIGHT HAVE HOPE."

What's written gives us hope. What's written in scripture gives us the important hope of Christ. What's written in the Constitution gives us hope for peace and justice in our society. What's written in the Book of Order gives us hope for a denomination that welcomes each other in spite of difference and exhibits the kingdom of heaven to the world and works together in peace and unity for our common hope.

If we ever worry that society or our denomination or our congregation is "too polarized," and despair that we'll never get back together again, then we can look at all these documents that, by their very existence, witness to a time when we agreed.

In this month we install new officers who will discern and debate and struggle and serve and care for this congregation. We pray for them and we cast our hopes on them and on the things that were written in former days so that through steadfastness to our faith and steadfastness to the agreements of the past about how we do governance and ministry together, we might have hope.

--Chas