By Dr. Jeff Mathis
I was reluctant to make the trip down to Buies Creek this past weekend.
The reasons for not traveling down to Campbell University were compelling.
I would have to miss a Sunday in the pulpit.
The trip would require a five-hour drive on Saturday followed by a five-hour return trip on Sunday.
We would incur travel expenses for a trip we had little energy to take.
My diploma is already framed and on the wall in my office.
But most of all, making the trip to my delayed graduation ceremony felt anticlimactic. I had received my Doctor of Ministry degree last May in a virtual presentation that my family and I viewed while we sat around our kitchen table. I may or may not have been wearing my bathrobe and sipping coffee rather than donning my academic regalia and nodding auspiciously.
Attending a belated graduation ceremony felt like an afterthought. And I was not a little embarrassed to ask my family to make such an effort for me.
But as we drove away from the ceremony that was offered to all 2020 graduates in the Campbell football stadium (each graduate could only have three guests attend), I couldn't help but be grateful for the opportunity to graduate with my Doctor of Ministry cohort.
As usual, Rebecca said it best.
In response to my hesitation about making the trip, Rebecca replied, "I'm so glad we came down for your graduation. Ceremonies are important. Gathering with other people matters. We have had to go without any number of important touchstones that we typically commemorate. Formal, sacred rituals have power."
She's right, of course. And we don't have to look far to see why.
Although our traditional Christmas Eve service had to be modified this past year, many of us still made an effort to participate in a candlelight vigil as the pouring snow began to accumulate outside.
You returned in earnest on Easter Sunday morning to help decorate the old, rugged cross with flowers and to be reminded that Christ is Risen.
We stood with our brother and sister in Christ, Scott and Nancy McConnell, several Sundays ago for the ancient ritual and ordinance of Baptism.
And this Sunday, we will gather in worship to formally ordain five of our church family as deacons. Even though we will have to make several adjustments to how we set these five individuals apart for ministry, we will do so faithfully because we know that there is power in the practice of laying hands on those we are commissioning.
Why do we go to such efforts? In a time when faith and ceremony seem to be fading from the cultural sensibilities, why should we bother? Rituals harness our attention and give us a way to participate in ancient rhythms that are powerful and pregnant with meaning.
This Sunday will require some preparation as we dedicate time in our morning Worship for Ordination. Traditionally, our church members would come forward, lay hands on the candidates' shoulders, and whisper a prayer, blessing, or word of encouragement to them. This year, however, we would like you to write your blessing on a card or small piece of paper in advance. At the appropriate time in the ordination service, you will come forward and place your note of encouragement to each of our five deacon candidates in the offering plate that will be next to each ordinand. Then, you will be able to place your hand on their shoulder and offer them a silent prayer of blessing.
The Candidates for Ordination are:
Teresa Deitz Manring
Janet Ford
Marina Hunley-Graham
Chris Moore
Charlie White
Please write a brief note of thanksgiving and blessing to each of these five individuals this week. Bring these notes with you to worship on Sunday. At the designated time in the service, come forward and place your card in each candidate's respective offering plate. Then touch them on their shoulder while you offer them a silent prayer.
I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude as I sat on the fifty-yard line on the football field at Campbell University beside my former classmates. Dressed in my academic garb and with its distinctive appearance, I was glad that we had made an effort to be present for a ceremony that, while not mandatory, was certainly indispensable in the arc of my academic journey.
Our gatherings together have power. The Lord's Supper, Baptism, and Ordination ordinances have a meaning that virtual experiences cannot capture.
Being church together and in-person matters. It's worth the effort, y'all.