Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 19

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

                                                                     Ephesians 4:32

Today, I'm grateful for the second chances I've received from The United Methodist Church.

In May of 1996, I had recently graduated seminary and was ready to come back to Oklahoma and take an appointment.  I had already been approved by the Board of Ordained Ministry for probationary membership and had been seated by the cabinet at Salem United Methodist Church in Drummond.  On Monday of Annual Conference, I was approved by the clergy executive session and was ready to go.  I would be ordained on Wednesday night.  

On Tuesday morning, I took a leisurely breakfast while visiting with my parents at their house in Tulsa. Unfortunately, I was also missing annual conference which at the time was introducing all of the ministerial candidates on the floor.

I got a phone call from my friend Kristi Swink who asked me where I was.  

Once she actually convinced me that I was missing a second vote, I frantically scrambled to get to the church.  

Carol Cook Moore (who I now serve with on the cabinet) was on the Board of Ordained Ministry and met me at the back of the sanctuary and escorted me down to the front.  

Randy Maddox was our conference teacher that year and was speaking on grace for the end of the morning session.

Carol took me up to Bishop Solomon to present me and I remember saying something trite like "I'm sure glad he was teaching on grace today."

Bishop Solomon looked at me without smiling and replied, "One can always hope."

We then had a lunch break and I was presented in the afternoon.  The conference approved me (again) for ordination and later at Gridiron (the conference's unofficial roast of all things conference) they sang "Get me to the Church on Time" while parading me down to the front.

I was very nervous through most of Tuesday.  I was hopeful that they would overlook my transgression and they did.  Since that time, I have tried to be present for the business of the annual conference!

When we think about second chances, we all have stories where we needed them.  What may be equally helpful is to recognize where we have given them.  

As we move forward in Lent, how does this season allow us to recognize the help we've needed in life?  How does this help us to extend it to others?

 

Notation from page 121 of the 1996 OK Conference Journal