Vocation

This week I opened the Sanctuary order of service to see what my responsibilities would be for the week. Michaela and I were scheduled to help lead the “Walking with You Ritual.” This is the time in our service where people share important joys, sorrows and needs for prayer. Between each sharing we sing the song “Walking with You” and at the end someone prays over the ritual incorporating the things that people have shared. This prayer has to be given extemporaneously and it is one of the few elements of the Sanctuary service I haven’t done before. In fact I’ve rarely if ever been called on to pray without having time to write a prayer. The way the order of service was written, it was unclear if I was supposed to sing the song or lead the ritual. So before the service I spoke with Michaela. She asked me if I preferred to sing or to lead the ritual and pray. I told her I’d never done it before, but that I was willing to try to pray and lead the ritual.

At first I was excited about this new opportunity, but then the time for the ritual came. I was so nervous. My heart was racing out of my chest and I could feel my palms starting to sweat. I looked across the circle at Michaela. She quietly mouthed to me, asking if I was still ok to lead the prayer. For a moment the nerves I had been harboring washed away. Here it is, this is my out. She’s in seminary; she’s done it a million times. I should just back out and maybe try it the next time. She looked at me reassuringly. I took a deep breath, smiled at her and told her that I could do it.

It probably wasn’t the most perfect prayer ever given. And I know that this new skill that will only get better with practice. But I took a risk and it worked out really well.

Now I could pretty easily write a blog post about learning to take chances and the importance of doing things outside of my comfort zone. Those are definitely important things to talk about. However, I think I learned more from my interaction with Michaela than from the act of trying something new. She ministered to me, recognizing my ability and encouraging me to try something bold and outside of my comfort zone. She decided that it was more important to empower me in a leadership role, than to take the spotlight for herself. She gave me the space to be brave, but made sure I was going to be ok.

This moment was a striking reminder to me about the ways leadership development should work in congregations. It’s made me want to find ways in my life and in my work at Marsh to cultivate the same sort of leadership. Today instead of reading the story for children’s ministry I let one of the children read it. She did a really great job reading for us, and I know she’ll get even better with more opportunities. My ministry with the kids at Marsh is not about me creating a program and getting a lot of praise and attention for it. It’s about creating a space where the children can grow in their faith, leadership and understanding. I’m grateful for Michaela for reminding me how simple and yet impactful cultivating leadership can be.