I remember with fondness the Sunday lunchtime con-versations I enjoyed during my first pastorate in North Carolina. It was the regular practice for us to gather together at a local restaurant after worship. The group that assembled was never the same. It included singles and couples, young adults and those of retirement age, longtime members of the congregation and newcomers – whoever happened to be interested on any given Sunday.
In our lunchtime discussions, we talked about anything and everything, usually with lots of laughter thrown in. Frequently, the conversation turned to the worship service and sermon, and I found it a helpful way to get feedback. Often the comments and questions became the inspiration for a future sermon, and many of the ideas that emerged turned into new programs or ministries. Those conversations taught me that preaching is not a monologue; it is a conversation between preacher and congregation, a conversation in which God is very much a part.
Too often when I visit a con-gregation or presbytery, I am the one doing all the talking. I have little opportunity to hear what is on the hearts and minds of people seeking to live out what it means to be the church. To remedy this, I am inviting Presbyterians to join me for what I am calling “Roundtable Discussions with the Moderator” – informal gatherings with opportunities for conversation and dialogue. I am more and more convinced that it is in such dialogue that we hear God speak and get a better sense of the direction God is leading us as a church. For God is at work in the Presbyterian Church – of that I am sure. Of course, as Moderator, I have no more power than any other presbyter, but during my moderatorial year I do have what is sometimes called a “bully pulpit,” and I hope to be able to share what I hear with others.
My first roundtable was held in January at Briarwood, Beaconsfield, Que., for the Presbytery of Montreal. Eighteen people, including seven from the Ghanaian congregation, participated. We began by sharing stories of generosity that had been transformative in our individual lives or the lives of our congregations. We then discussed challenges facing the church and signs of hope in our congregations and presbytery. We closed with group prayer, turning our conversation into an offering to God. I found it quite moving when one of the Ghanaians began to hum the melody line of the gospel hymn, I Need Thee Every Hour in a rich, baritone voice. Soon other voices began to weave their harmonies into the melody line as we joined together in singing the familiar refrain of the hymn:
“I need Thee, O I need Thee; every hour I need Thee. O bless me now, my Saviour, I come to Thee!”
That hymn was written in 1872 by a Baptist layperson named Annie Hawks in collaboration with her pastor, Robert Lowry. Ms. Hawks reports that she was moved to write the hymn when, in the midst of doing her household chores, she had an overwhelming sense of her Saviour’s presence. Immediately, the words, “I need Thee every hour,” came to her mind; words she promptly turned into poetry. Lowry added the tune and refrain. And so what began as a moment of grace for one person during her daily routine has become a source of comfort and grace for millions of Christians for nearly 150 years.
I invite you to add your voice to the conversation at the Moderator’s Roundtable Discussions. For, as Hawks discovered, the Saviour is always near, and with him, our work can turn from drudgery to joy. And as the two despondent disciples discovered as they walked to Emmaus, when the risen Lord joins our discussion, a conversation that began in confusion and grief can end with a new sense of purpose and hope (Luke 24:13-35).
