Easter Monday, April 25, 2011
Many years ago, a friend and I spent the day at Coney Island riding the wooden roller coaster over and over again. Flying down the long slopes with our hands in the air, and clinging tightly to the bar as we flew around sharp curves, we screamed and laughed and screamed again. Wooden roller coasters are terrifying and exhilarating – there is always this sensation that the car is going to fly right off the tracks. And the clickety-clack of the wheels on the rails sets up a vibration that rattles the riders to the core. It is quite unsettling. Each time the ride ended, we looked at each other and shouted, “Again!” We rode the roller coaster over and over again, until the bones and muscles in our young bodies cried out, “Enough!” (But let’s come back next week!)
Ministry is so much like a wooden roller coaster. There are times when serving God is so intense that there is nothing else to do but hang on tightly and trust. There are moments of pure joy when it is so good to just throw our hands up in the air and praise God. There are weeks that are decidedly unsettling, as relationships are rattled by dispute. And there are days that are filled with sadness, moments of transition and loss. The work of ministry is exhilarating and terrifying, and much less predictable than a roller coaster. Each Monday, as I take a day of rest, I delight in the anticipation of crying out “Again!”
But on this Easter Monday the bones and muscles of my body are crying out “Enough!” It is time to get off the roller coaster of life and rest, at least for a little while. It is time to rest and remember. Today I remember and give thanks for the lives of the many wonderful people who have died since last Easter, including Charles, Andrea, Kris, Eula Mae, Ben, Peggy, Marie, and Mary. Today I remember and give thanks for the lives of six incredible youth who were confirmed yesterday: Crystal, Meredith, Tonisha, Bradley, Jonathan, and Anna. Today I remember and give thanks for the mentors and friends who have been brave enough to ride this roller coaster of ministry with me. Today I remember and give thanks for the wonderful and faithful congregations at Reconciliation UMC and Saxapahaw UMC. Today I remember and give thanks for my family.
And as I remember and give thanks to God for all the moments of exhilaration and sadness of the past year I find myself eager to cry “Again!” Again! In grief and in joy, in good times and in difficult times, this roller coaster called ministry – this gift of being able to serve God and God’s people – leads me to cry out, “Again!” (But not until next week!)
