Happy Monday, friends!

Well, it’s official. Sunday afternoon, the Presbytery of New Hope formally installed Rebekah as pastor, here at Wake Forest Presbyterian Church.

In the Presbyterian form of government, ministers are called by the local church; but (before they can be officially installed) they first become members of the regional Presbytery. That’s why Rebekah had to wait until she had been received as a member of New Hope before the Presbytery could form a “commission” to install her as pastor at WFPC.

Sunday afternoon, a variety of ministers and elders came together for the ceremony. The commission included ministers representing five different congregations, and elders from four. Among them were her brother Roy (Greenville, NC), her sister, Rachel (Virginia Beach, VA), and her brother Jesse (who came all the way from Florida to bring the message).

Additionally, the enthusiastic congregation included people representing Rebekah’s ministry at First Brandon, at Trinity Pensacola, and at First Leesburg, where she grew up.

SPIRIT: If you missed the installation, then you missed a treat.

• An installation is a serious event, one that features multiple clergy, and robes, and fancy stoles, and more ceremony than you’ll ever see (around here) on a typical Sunday morning.
• It’s serious because the weight, the gravity, of the occasion represents pastoral leadership in the church established by Jesus; years of prayer, planning, yearning, and deep commitments; hundreds of years of Presbyterian history; 2,000 years of ministry; the future of an important congregation of believers; and the hopes and dreams of an entire community.
• The presence of the Spirit, the laying on of hands, the scriptures, the preaching, the “charges,” the liturgy, and the music all come out of – and contribute to – a sense of “moment” so profound that it takes your breath sometimes.

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  At the same time, and for all the same reasons, an installation done right is an occasion marked by laughter, love, spirit, warmth, and enthusiasm.

We had all of the above – in spades – and, consequently, the afternoon bubbled over with faith, fun, the presence of God, laughter, meaning, and joyful purpose.

POWER! For me, one of the most powerful moments was when I was invited to stand with Rebekah as the ordained elders and ministers participated in the “laying on of hands,” during the installation prayer.

I could feel the presence of God all afternoon, but the sensation was amplified and God’s call resonated with a deeper sense of gravity when we were surrounded by such a focus of belief, and commitment, and love, and spiritual power. It was one of those “Thin Place” moments, when the reality of the spiritual world interfaces with the reality of the physical world, and the two realities overlap, and we stand there with not just a foot in both worlds, but actually standing in both worlds simultaneously.

Such is the intention of God in all the moments of our lives, that we stand in this world, this good world, and that we stand in the presence of God, both at the same time, as if The Kingdom is indeed come.

Such is the intention of God in all the moments of our lives, that we stand in this world, this good world, and that we stand in the presence of God, both at the same time, as if The Kingdom is indeed come.

And that is our opportunity. Peace, love, blessings and promise – DEREK