I anticipate our synod will celebrate two ordinations in the coming months. Our Candidacy Committee approved Ms. Bridget Whately and Ms. Megan Floyd—both members of Prince of Peace in Portage—for ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Thanks be to God! Pastor-Elect Whately is called by Peace in Sparta and will be ordained at Prince of Peace in Portage on August 24. Ms. Floyd is completing internship and prayerfully reviewing paperwork for several congregations in our synod.
The rite of ordination describes the meaning of ordination when the presiding minister says to those to be ordained: “According to apostolic usage you are now to be entrusted with the office of word and sacrament in the one holy catholic church by the laying on of hands and by prayer.” As the rite explains, while “all baptized Christians are called to share in Christ’s ministry of love and service in the world, to the glory of God and for the sake of the human family and the whole creation,” Lutheran Christians believe that, within the people of God and for the sake of the gospel ministry entrusted to all believers, God has instituted the office of ministry of word and sacrament so that the Gospel is preached rightly and the sacraments administered faithfully. For Lutheran Christians understand the church is not a building; the church is more than people. The church is “the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel” (Augsburg Confession, V, VII).
Through their proclamation of the Word and administration of the Sacraments, Ministers of Word and Sacrament are means by which Jesus keeps his promise to be with us always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Ministers of Word and Sacrament proclaim the good news of Jesus, that we are saved by his grace, that we do not have to earn God’s love, and that we cannot lose God’s love. They don’t tell us that Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart and we need to let him in or that we have to accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior as a condition for Jesus to save us. Ministers of Ward and Sacrament tell us what God through Christ is doing and they invite us to be part of it, rather than telling us what we should, ought, or must do. Ministers of Word and Sacrament assure us that baptism is God’s gift, joining us personally to Jesus’s death and resurrection, and not an obstacle. They assure us that Christ is truly present in the Lord’s Supper to love, forgive, and empower us, and that holy communion is more than a memorial of the Last Supper or a congregation’s fellowship feast.
Ordinations are dear to me, I suspect in the same way baptisms are dear to pastors, because we get to participate as Jesus keeps his promise to be with us always. I developed a heart for ordination when, as a seminary professor, I was honored to preach when some of my students were ordained. How inspiring to encounter some of them at the youth gathering and experience the remarkable pastors they’ve become! Yes, I also get to experience this in some of our synod’s pastors who, once-upon-a-time, I taught. Jesus is keeping his promise. Ordaining pastors and deacons is the only thing our church entrusts solely to bishops. During my time as bishop, I have been privileged to ordain 21 pastors and 2 deacons. I have precious memories of all of them; permit me to tell you about one.
Pastor Kate Van Valkenburg was ordained on July 25, 2020. The world was in the midst of a global pandemic. Personally, I visited the ophthalmologist in Chicago on July 23; she was so concerned about the pressure in my right eye that she wanted me to check into the hospital and have surgery the next day. I declined; no, I refused. Something inside me would not allow myself to be the reason Jesus did not raise up a pastor to preach the word and administer the sacraments when the church, the world, and I all needed hope in the face of the sickness, isolation, and death brought on by the pandemic. So the doctor spent the day using drops to bring the pressure down and Cathy and I returned home.
The night before the ordination, my friend and pastor, Gary Bunge, presented the personal crozier he had made for me during the pandemic—a concrete expression of my call as bishop. The next day, carrying that crozier, and clad in cope, miter, and mask, I gathered with perhaps a dozen others for the ordination. Kate’s pastor preached. I laid on hands for ordination at arm’s length. I really do not recall whether we shared the Lord’s Supper. But Jesus was truly present, raising up a pastor to proclaim that Jesus is with us—the world, the church, and each of us—always, to the end of the age. Many of the trimmings and the trappings that usually accompany ordination were missing. From my perspective, that only made the core, the center, the good news shine brighter. Jesus keeps his promise to be with us always, to the end of the age.
That evening, I prayed with David and Rosanne. The next day, trusting Jesus’s promise, Cathy and I returned to Chicago for surgery on Monday. Trusting Jesus’s promise, Kate began her pastoral ministry. The pandemic continued. And Jesus was with us. Jesus still is. Jesus will always be—always, to the end of the age. And more, Jesus ordains people who devote their lives to publicly proclaiming this good news.
If you have never experienced an ordination or if you need some hope, do yourself a favor and come. As I said, I anticipate our synod will celebrate two ordinations in the coming months. And if you might be experiencing even an inkling that Jesus is nudging you to spend your life publicly proclaiming that Jesus loves all people, that we are saved by grace, that Jesus is with us always, to the end of the age, reach out to your pastor, to Pastor Bright, or to me. If that is too big of a step, visit elcaseminaries.org and journi.faith, explore their resources, and pray to your father who is in secret. Finally, if you know someone who should consider becoming a pastor, tell them. People started telling me when I was in elementary school; it took years to stick.
“Almighty and merciful God, you built your church on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and you instituted the office of the ministry of word and sacrament so that the apostolic and prophetic work might continue throughout the ages. Grant that Bridget and Megan, [preparing] to be ordained, may carry out this ministry faithfully in the power of your Spirit; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.”
The Rev. Craig Alan Satterlee, Ph.D., Bishop