Observation: Paul writes to Titus about finding leaders in every town who can manage the work of the church. He speaks of elders and of bishops (a word which means "overseer"), and lists many personal moral qualifications. Blameless, married only once, children are believers, not accused of debauchery or licentiousness, not addicted to alcohol or greedy for gain, not arrogant, with a firm grasp of the word and Christian teaching, the list goes on and on...in short, the church needs leaders of the highest quality, because their job is difficult, and the world is watching.
Application: In the ELCA, this is a season of Synod Assemblies, which is where the leadership of bishops is on full display. I am pleased to say, despite the many challenges of meeting online for the very first time, and recovering from eye surgery, our bishop and his team led admirably. There was a tremendous amount of work to do as a church, but Bishop Satterlee rose to the task, and his report reminded us not just of what we do, but why: for the sake of spreading the Good News of Jesus to a world in need.
Synod Assembly season is also a season of bishop elections, and our denomination had a rare moment of being in the national news for electing our first openly transgender bishop: The Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer, bishop elect of the Sierra-Pacific Synod. I will link to a couple of news stories about their election and their ministry up to this point, but suffice it to say, of the many stringent expectations Paul places upon Titus in finding bishops and leaders of the Church, Pastor Rohrer appears to meet them all. But that does not mean they will not need our prayers...indeed, even under normal circumstances, the life of a Christian leader is a difficult one, to say nothing of the public vitriol which is surely already coming Pastor Rohrer's way. So today, I pray for them, as well as for our synodical bishop, Craig Satterlee, and our presiding bishop, Elizabeth Eaton.
I honestly can't say what a "blameless" life and ministry looks like. There are things on Paul's list which I would have questions about, and things I might add. To me, knowing how stressful leading a church can be, I know it's dangerous to aspire to perfection. I'll never get there. But I can be perfectly imperfect. Perfectly ready to be the right person for this time and place, and to trust a perfect God to work with my imperfections. That's what I aspire to in my ministry, and that's how I will pray for our bishops today.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, stir up in all Christian leaders the ability to dwell in you, to be formed by you for all the challenges of this day, and at the last, to turn them over to you, who do not slumber nor sleep. Ignite the spirits of our bishops, Elizabeth and Craig, and the spirit of Megan, newly elected to lead your people in the Sierra Pacific synod. Given them the strength they will need for today. Forgive them when they fall short, and give them the capacity to forgive others. Defend them from every evil. May they be blameless in their conduct, but even more in their trust that you can use our imperfections for the sake of your mission in this world. I pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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