God’s Anointing Becomes Clear in Ordination

Several pastors and elders gathered around me and laid their hands on my shoulders as part of my ordination on Sunday as Pastor of Congregational Life at Coit Community Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.

It was an amazing and holy moment, one to which I believe I have been called and toward which I have been moving for many years.

Now I will have the great privilege to serve God in an ordained capacity— assuming roles and functions as they present themselves.

I will be doing this is as a volunteer, since I have a full-time job working for CRC News. Also, since I am moving toward retirement age, I am not sure for how many years I will doing this.

Overall, my hope and plan — with God and Pastor Jerome Burton’s guidance — is to be closely involved in the lives of our people.

My only hope is that I will be able to do this as a humble and honorable servant of God. I mean this, because self-doubt, fear and negative thinking have long been my nextdoor neighbors.

For instance, there have been times when I've wondered whether ordination was necessary, and whether God would have preferred for me to continue to be actively involved in the church in the ways in which I already had been.

I mean, have I responded to a holy calling from God — or is this wishful thinking, ego? Am I way out of my element?

Not surprisingly, some of this was on my mind as I sat in the front row with my wife and family on Sunday, asking God, "Is it really me you need, God? Do you really want me to take on the job?”

These thoughts — so familiar and at times discouraging — were swirling when my oldest friend from grade school, Tim Jeffrey, stepped behind the podium to speak, giving the people a glimpse into who I am.

Tim talked of our friendship beginning in early grade school, of our failure impressing the girls, of our struggle making friends with the popular kids, and of the countless hours — well into our teens and 20s — we spent walking through our neighborhoods talking about our lives and our futures.

Both of us knew, as we walked and talked, that the sky was full of stars and great possibility and that the wide universe was wider than we even imagined, and that God was in charge.

Nonetheless, we have both led at times, especially through our middle-age years, tumultuous lives.

Even though our paths diverged, we have stayed in contact. He writes and makes movies and is involved in a great many other things — among them being a grandfather whose love I envy.

Besides writing, I’ve stayed close to the church and Christianity.

I wasn’t even sure what he would say about me and the church. But he wrapped up by saying, through some obvious tears, “All of Chris’ life — all of those times we spent together — everything has been leading here today — to this ordination.”

When he stepped down to the sound of clapping, I thought he had helped to answer my question. Maybe I’m over 60; maybe I’m a volunteer; maybe I have a diploma in ministry and not a Master of Divinity degree, and maybe my path is by no means a traditional one to become a pastor.

But this is the road that God put me on so many years ago and down which he has so graciously walked, both with me as well as with my friend Tim as well.

Tim helped to remind me that ordination was not really of me.

When they laid on hands, it was of God’s choosing and his anointing and that’s what matters.