On Dear Friends and Thresholds

Dear friends,

We find ourselves at yet another threshold. The past two years have been a difficult transition, and we have another loss that we must hold. Along with you, I am in sorrow as Charles moves on to another place of ministry. He is a dear friend and a trusted colleague.

For many years I took for granted that I could trust Charles with anything. It was just an implicit understanding — something I knew in my bones. Whenever we made decisions, I was certain that Charles was thinking not of his own desires, but what was best for you, the people of Central Baptist Church. I wish you too could have been privy to the deep thought and theological reflection that have gone into his service to this congregation. His love for you, even in these last difficult years, has been his guiding light.

I have learned so much from Charles over these thirteen years of serving together. His ministry has been that of a true servant. He has done the hard work of making sure children have loving teachers and youth can ask big questions. He has made sure that the doors are open and the building is maintained. He has cooked countless meals and ordered literature. He has studied diligently and preached with love. He has sat beside hospital beds and comforted those in grief. He has installed water heaters and picked up groceries. He has shown us the way of Jesus with a towel around his waist, ready to wash our feet.

At this threshold we have the opportunity to give thanks and to grieve. This is what happens when we live life well — our separation is all the more heartbreaking because there has been great love. It’s a strange and beautiful paradox.

So here at this threshold, it’s okay to feel our sadness and our fear — that’s a sign that we have loved well. And it’s also a time to celebrate and be thankful for all the goodness we have shared. Thresholds ask us to hold these opposites in tension. Somehow, holding that space where these opposites entangle, makes room for new life. We can grieve our loss, celebrate the goodness we have shared, offer our blessings, and hope for the future together.

The wonder of the gospel, the glory of good news is not that we are made perfect — it is that love makes us whole. Love fills in all the cracks in our frailty. Love flows into all the spaces where we are separate. Love welcomes all of our mistakes back home. Love allows us to hold all of this joy and sorrow together.

Dear friends, even in our sorrow, we trust in this love that makes us whole. It is in our grief and our uncertainty that we have the opportunity to let go into the loving flow of God’s right-relatedness that will carry us to new life. The goal of any minister worth their salt is not to do the work of the church, but to equip the people of God to minister — to cultivate a space for people to come alive. We honor Charles as we live into the goodness that we have planted together.

Blessings to you, Charles, Michelle, Evelyn, Jonas, and Edith. And blessings to you, Central Baptist Church family. May we love well.

Grace and peace,

Aaron