Dear friends,
As many of you know, I will be ordained a deacon on January 22 at my home parish in the Diocese of Lexington. I am both thrilled and humbled by this important event in my life and ministry. I am thrilled to be sharing it with so many of my friends and family, but especially with you, the beloved people of The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany! I am looking forward to Sunday, January 29—my first Sunday serving as deacon here at Epiphany—as much, if not more than my ordination!
The ministry of a deacon is one of service—especially to the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely. Deacons are to assist bishops and priests in the administration of the sacraments and in the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But perhaps most importantly, the deacon is an interpreter to the Church. She or he elucidates the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world. In a sense, it is the deacon’s responsibility to shed light on those places that the Church may have forgotten or overlooked. The deacon is to guide the Church to the places in need of healing, hope, salvation, comfort, and rest. The deacon is called, as we all are, to listen, to seek, and to find those places most in need of the good news of God in Christ.
I am deeply humbled by the trust that the Church has invested in me in ordaining me to this new ministry. But what I have found to be most humbling and life giving is the reality that my ordination is really not about me at all. It’s about you! It’s about all of God’s people! The essence of ordination is not found in vestments, statuses, or titles. Instead, the essence of what ordination really is can be found in something we all share in common: baptism.
Ordination is about empowering all of God’s people to live into the promises of their baptismal covenant in new and extraordinary ways! Baptism is the very fiber that holds our common life as Christians together. God is calling all of us—not just ordained folks—to seek out ways to strengthen our bonds with one another, to build new relationships, and to grow into what the Apostle Paul calls “the full stature of Christ.”
And so, as we continue on this journey together, I wonder where those places are in your life where God is challenging you to grow and to create something new? The season after Epiphany is one of marvelous signs and wonders. I challenge you to keep watch for those marvelous signs and wonders God is working in your own life and in our common life together, both here at Epiphany and in the world around us!
Every blessing,
Marshall
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