23rd November 2025
I will admit I am pleased that the ELCE’s 71st Annual Synod went well. There were many positive comments in view of what appeared a daunting Synod – the largest amount of business in my time in the ELCE, a contentious topic raised, some high emotion, lots of superlatives and niceness with the farewells of Pastor Bessel and myself (we have 86 years of ordained ministry between us of which 42 years were serving here in the ELCE), and the installation of the new ELCE Chairman, Pastor Simojoki. Now, of course, people who are nice but thought that the Synod didn’t go that well are nice in being silent! I know that. Just as I also know that God has a sense of humour when Holy Trinity chose the dates for Synod and Day 2 was my birthday. I wanted it to be unknown and no focus on me but that wasn’t to be. So I had a lot of things to do with the admin and chairing of Synod, with the preparation of Synod, with the worship at Synod, and wishing people hadn’t made a special fuss to thank Pastor Arno and me (well, him yes, but me no, as I’ve been ‘centre’ as ELCE Chairman long enough). The emotions were fine – I was focused and busy – until … having installed Pastor Tapani and celebrated Holy Communion as I stood before Synod – before the ELCE in a way – the thought came to me as I began the Aaronic Blessing, “This is the last time you will do this for them”.
It caught me off guard. I try and keep my inner monologue on ‘silent running’ when conducting the liturgy so as to concentrate on the words I say while my eyes concentrate on the people in front of me. I pushed the ‘last time’ thought down and rejoiced that God is the one who blesses and how privileged I was to see those whom he blessed.
Some endings are more significant than others but all of them have the quality of a close – even the closing of eyes in sleep – and that brings both thankfulness and hope. There is the thankfulness of life up to this point, this close, for God hasn’t abandoned us. Sure, he might be hard to see, find, recognise in what is now ending but since we live by faith and not by sight that is more to be expected than not! God has been with us right to the end. And of course that’s why there is hope! God is with us beyond all endings. The sun rises. We wake up. There is a new Synodical term and the ELCE continues. There is a new Church Year and Ascension and Ipswich go forward in it confident that God will be with us every moment of the way. When the circumstances and emotions, the pain and troubles suggest to us that God has abandoned us or he doesn’t care, then we return to our hope and security – Jesus and the story of the manger, the cross, and tomb – which declare him present with us and active through words, water, bread and wine. And so we live with every ending because with Jesus there will come a life where there are no more endings – only joy!
GS