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Simply stated: God is love, we are loved, we must…not just should…love all of our brothers and sisters. Simple. Bears repeating often. Also, really hard to do.
My first loving “nudge” towards ordained ministry happened in the late 1980’s at Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, CT, when Alden Tyrol was the director. I was the volunteer Christian Educator at my church and had never even been to the camp when I was asked to dean (head up) a week with forty 4th graders, six teen counselors, plus my own children ages 5 and 7. It was one of the best, spirited-filled, most exhausting weeks of my life!
I would get up at 6:00 am to walk across the campus to go to the women’s shower. Alden would be leaning on the back of his truck, smoking his pipe and we’d talk. Small talk at first, and he never pushed. Just a quiet, “have you ever thought about” and then he would make a gentle encouraging suggestion. After a few years of this summer ritual, he “popped” the question: “have you ever thought about ordained ministry?”
My internal response was: “Are you out of your mind? You obviously don’t know the very irreverent me. And my faith tradition made it very clear, women could NOT be clergy.”
But I spoke: “Interesting idea.”
Alden was one of several who lovingly encouraged/nudged me to accept God’s call. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”. (vs 18a) This is what love looks like!
One summer, in this same love-filled place, an entire social hall of 300 youth, volunteers and staff “thought” happy birthday to my daughter who was terrified of loud noises. It was a stunning moment of complete silence with a beaming, differently abled (often dismissed and teased), eight-year-old child knowing the love that poured out for her.
That same “child” is now 40 years old, resides in support living and takes a week of vacation from her job to volunteer as a counselor for a singing conference at “the Lake.” And yes, she can be found on stage in that same social hall singing away with her “young people.” “Those who love God must love (all) their brothers and sisters also.” (vs. 21b) This is what love looks like!
Alden began each week of the summer saying “I’m going to ask you to do three things while you are here: Love God, love your neighbor, and love yourself!” Simple. Bears repeating. Hard to do, but this is what love looks like.
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” (vs.7)
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