Teresa: a charge on the occasion of her ordination as Minister of Word and Sacrament

Teresa,

God has been stitching you together from the day you were born, threading his divine needle with different colors of thread as you have grown in many ways in your love for God. I invite you now to open your spiritual sewing basket as you begin this new stage in your journey.

You'll need a spiritual pattern with which to shape your ministry, being faithful to God and to your congregation.

You'll need a cutting board with divine guidelines as God equips you to make disciples and grow leaders within your congregation.

You'll need a pair of scissors to cut with conviction as you preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are times when you may want a seam ripper to fix your mistakes, and that you may need a length of elastic to stretch your confidence.

God may alter a neckline or change a sleeve from time to time, pointing you in a direction where you don't think that you want to go. You may feel like you want to start all over, but be assured that the holy garment that God has crafted will be a perfect fit, a very personal reflection of who you are as a child of God.

And so may you be clothed in Christ, loved by God, and immersed in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.