I woke up with a sore hip this morning...

I woke up with a sore hip this morning, I attributed it to sleeping on a strange bed in a hotel while at the Southeastern Iowa Fall Conference. You know how it is, you can't ever quite get comfy in a strange bed. Today was a long day filled with speakers and meals, meals and speakers. I even got a tour of the Iowa campus right here in beautiful Iowa City, IA! The highlight of my day came tonight during worship at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church.

I call it the highlight, even as my hip is still sore, because the bishop [Bishop Hougen, a great bishop!] brought a word to the people and in his word he spoke about giving voice to the voiceless (event theme) in reference to Matt. 18, then trickled over to Genesis and the story of Jacob wrestling with the man. He recounted the story we had heard during the readings, then made an interesting connection that gave me pause. He spoke about "call" to ministry and about how we wrestle with our call at one time or another. Hmmm. I have gone through this very thing within the current calendar year, so my alert level was very high! The bishop spoke of the limp we get from wrestling with and serving in our calls.

My hip still hurts as I write this, some 15 hours after I awoke. Can it be that God sometimes puts us in places that make us uncomfortable? Nah, that can't be right, can it? Could it be that sometimes God's people can be hurtful to pastors and/or rostered leaders in the church? Surely not! And still, if we think about it, I'm pretty sure all of us can think about a time when we've been hurt, shamed, insulted, let down, run over by others who claim Christ.

Still feel my hip, just so you know.

The bishop also spoke about the blessings we receive in our call. It's taken me all of two months in my internship to find my voice as "pastor" [note the use of quotation marks here so as not to confuse or blur the line between "pastoral intern" or "vicar" or some such title more appropriate to one not yet ordained]. It's taken me two months, but I feel I am finding it, and in my finding it I am realizing at least a part of the blessing God gives to those who serve. I am beginning to experience some of the "aha!" moments that confirmation students, those gathered for worship, and even myself are having. I am learning what it means to be a leader for a congregation of believers and I am finding renewed confidence in my calling.

I hope my hip stops hurting, I have to hit the hay soon.

Maybe there's something to this notion of a limp and a blessing. During the time just before receiving communion I got a chill, not a bad chill, more of a "wow, what a great feeling!" type of a chill. Maybe you wouldn't call it a chill? Anyway, often I experience that after communion as I pray and thank God for the gift of Christ for my life, but tonight I had that feeling before as I stared up at the cross hovering significantly above my head, and I felt God's presence with me like I hadn't in a while.

I woke up this morning with a sore hip, tonight I'm going to sleep feeling a blessing. I pray that you will experience God's blessing in your life in some unique and amazing way. Good night friends, God's peace be with you.