Next week in Kramer Chapel the vicarage placements and calls will be announced in two worship services filled with music, prayers, and lots of trepidation. The wives of these future vicars and pastors, while excited and eager along with their husbands to find out the location of where their new life will take them, are also nervous. The wives often have separate concerns. Will I be able to find a job? What will the congregation expect of me? Will my behavior, words, and actions be judged more critically than others’? What if I hate it?
Around this time also, pastoral students and their wives might be fantasizing about the perfect placement or call: The congregation that embraces and supports all of the suggestions of the pastor; the parsonage with a beautifully landscaped yard, no leaky faucets, and a recently renovated kitchen; a safe and wholesome community where children not only grow and are nurtured but also thrive; church members who have few problems but lots of Biblical knowledge and theological insight; friends who will support and love the pastor and his family; a pastor’s study with a souped up brand-new laptop, along with a modern sleekly designed desk, and plenty of book space; a planned shower for the vicar’s or pastor’s wife to fill her kitchen shelves with everything from cereal to Omaha steaks. Did I miss any of those dreams or fantasies? Probably.
Where I’m headed with this should be obvious. Of course, there is no “perfect” place for serving God’s people, and that is true for the pastor and vicar as well as for the families of these men. I’ve found no perfect place in this fallen world, but one thing I have found is to see firsthand how God provides for His people. Alongside my husband, I see as parishioners come to the altar and are fed with Christ’s own body and blood. I hear how a member needed an answer to prayer and got it—along with countless un-asked-for blessings. I also see how God provides for me and for my family.
During the seminary years, we struggled to make ends meet, but through those years, we learned that we are fed by God’s generous hand. During those years, we relied on God in prayer to help us find our way, and we learned that God supports us in all times and seasons of our lives. During our vicarage year, we learned that God can take cross-country trips and make them into unforgettable adventures. During our years in the parish, we learned that our Savior, Jesus, is all that we need, and that He is trustworthy and good.
The truth is, on the one hand, that there are no perfect places to serve God’s people. We are weak sinners and live among sinners in need of forgiveness. But God does not leave us in our sin. He has come for us, to take us back to Himself, to provide for us, and to fill our lives with all of the blessings in Christ. And wherever we lay our heads at night, we can be sure that our heavenly Father will be with us each step of the way.
- Julie Stiegemeyer
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