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Yes, it’s time. Some might even say, "Well, it’s about time!" You know what I mean. A vacancy that lasted two years, not six months as anticipated. A vacancy pastor who had much to learn about the culture of St. Paul’s and, after all this time, still doesn’t quite get it right.
Yes, this will be my last Mindful Monday as I move on and allow Pastor Schlund to move in. That’s been God’s plan all along ... that I be planted and uprooted (see v. 2).
Our theme this year is "Rooted in Christ." That’s always a good thing! From Him we will never be uprooted. At the same time, the writer of Ecclesiastes seems to indicate that despite this one place where we are not uprooted, every other place is one where being uprooted can and should be anticipated!
Uprooted in all other areas of life is not a negative thing. Note in the verses that follow, the "negative" is followed by a "positive": "... a time to kill [negative] and a time to heal [positive]; a time to break down [negative] and a time to build up [positive]." The pattern continues: "a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."
So let me say it: "being uprooted" isn’t all negative. Being uprooted from "things" in order to be firmly rooted in the One Thing is a positive!
Yes, you and I share in that one very positive one thing — faith in Christ Jesus! That will never change. To quote the hymn, "Change and decay in all around I see, O Thou who changest not, abide with me!"
Do those words make you weep? Or do they make you laugh? Do they cause you to mourn? I like to think that because of Christ Jesus, they cause us to dance!
So Schudde won’t be around (at least not up in the chancel or pulpit at St. Paul’s). That’s okay. You and I are given the assurance of something much better — our common faith and rootedness in Christ Jesus! So, we don’t weep. We dance!
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