Holy Saturday

O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.’ Therefore in my anger I swore, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ Psalm 95

As we await the resurrection, and proclaim again the Easter story, I have decided to share with you a reflection I have been pondering since my consecration anniversary, April 6th. In my 24th year, I have some simple advice, top ten things to cling to, for new bishops and clergy (and lay leaders) alike.

1. It's never about you, it's about Jesus.
2. Your first ministry, your call, is to your family.
3.This is their diocese, their home, not yours.
4. Bishop's visits are anxious and exhausting. Be grateful.
5. Live with curiosity and never with judgment. Be humble.
6. Listen deeply and listen over and over again.
7. God is always speaking, so practice shutting up.
8. Being bishop is a role, and it's not yours to reimagine.
9. Pray fiercely and in every circumstance and decision.
10. Again, it's about Jesus. He loves us all so love all of your people.