White Smoke

This week when the white smoke billowed above the Vatican it indicated that a new pope had been chosen for the Roman Catholic Church. As I am sure most of you have heard by now, new Pope Leo the XIV, was born right here in the Midwest. Choosing a new pope is always a time of anxiety for the church as they consider the future. Will things valued in the past be valued in the future? Will the church maintain a credible witness? Ultimately will the new regime be good or bad for the church going forward? While we have many significant disagreements with the Roman Catholics and sotierologically fear for those who adhere to RCC dogma, we do share a heritage, we share the creeds and we pray for true Gospel renewal within the church.

Perhaps in a similar vein, I have been thinking of transitions a little closer to home given the loss of two charter members of Christ Church in the last eight days. Both Bert and Chuck, though they are very different men, have greatly influenced Christ Church. Chuck was a behind the scenes guy, a humble servant, who was good with his hands and loved to talk sports. Bert was a much more outgoing, out front leading kind of guy, who was always interested in people, looking to connect them to each other and find ways they could connect to Christ Church. If you have been at Christ Church any length of time, you probably have a Bert story. Now they, along with most of the other charter members of the church, are gone. We ask questions in their absence. Will we stay grounded in what made Christ Church strong? Will we be OK?

Here are two quick reflections as we think about our future. First, keep praying for our vision articulation process that is underway*. Times of reflection like we are undergoing as a church help us to cherish our past while looking toward our future. They are times to remember lessons that we have learned, while living out those lessons learned in real time.

Second, as people come and go through the years, our God remains the same. This week, as we close out the book of Zephaniah with chapter 3:8-20, we will be reminded that even in the midst our failures and rebellion, God keeps covenant with his people. This is incredibly encouraging as we reckon with our own moral weaknesses, our limitations in knowing the times and knowing how we should respond, and frankly as we contemplate our own mortality. God is among us. He is a mighty one who will save. He delights in his people, quieting them with his love. The white smoke doesn't curl over our life because of any mere human representation of the church, but rather we find our rest in the finished work of our mediator, Jesus Christ.