Call this my Dave Letterman phase of blogging, if you want. But Top 10 lists are fun. (And this one is presented in total “stream of consciousness” order, not exhaustive, not authoritative.) What do I love about our denomination’s annual business meeting/convention? Let me count the ways.
1. Seeing old friends - I could spend a few thousand words on this, but the funniest example will have to suffice. Last week, I made a Top 10 list about summer camp and mentioned a prank I pulled on someone. Lo and behold, I saw the victim of said prank the first night of the Assembly. We did not talk about the prank. We did introduce our spouses to each other and laugh about old times. She’s now married to an elder, going to seminary, and serving as the children’s ministry director at her church. What a coincidence (when we haven’t seen each other in 15+ years), what a small world.
2. Making new friends - When church members move, I’ll often recommend churches to them in their new hometown, especially if they ask. If I don’t know the area, I’ll ask friends and do my best. I met at least one pastor of one such church last week - a man I knew by reputation and recommendation from a friend but had never actually met (that I can remember). In a gathering of 2,000+, we talked four separate times this week.
3. Praying - I once heard someone say most Christians think they should pray more. Sadly, that’s probably true for many reasons. But at our business meeting, we pray before and after reports. We pray at the beginning and end of meetings. At one point, we faced a controversial vote that was likely to leave almost half the room disappointed. Someone suggested we pray. He offered to pray. We waited a minute while Robert’s Rules ruled and reigned. A former moderator of General Assembly stood up and said, “I have trouble making a prayer (at times like this) that’s not a speech, so if we’re going to pray, Mr. Moderator, you should do it.” And so the current moderator did just that. It was a good moment.
4. Disagreeing - last week I read a book called The Art of Disagreeing. It was good practice. Presbyterians disagree without being disagreeable, at least that’s what we do at our best. That’s what one of my pastors taught me years ago (and I had the pleasure of seeing him in passing this week). We don’t question motives or call names. We focus on issues.
5. Singing - Maybe it’s the prevalence of male voices, which is obviously a change. Maybe it’s ending every Assembly with Psalm 133 and the emphasis on brothers dwelling in unity. Whatever the reason, I love the singing.
6. Fathers and brothers - It’s a phrase we say to start our speeches, often. Fathers and brothers in the faith. It’s what we are. And it’s a small reminder that I have fathers - people who are smarter than me. And not just smarter: wiser, more patient, more experienced, more well-versed in the Rules of Robert, or the Assembly, or more. Every Assembly gets bogged down in debate and procedure, but there are many who know what they’re doing, and who balance the rights of the minority and majority opinions.
7. Laughter - It’s easy to think the next vote is the most important vote of the Assembly and also the most important EVER! It’s probably not. And I’m always grateful for a moderator or speaker who can make a small joke amidst some serious points when we all need to laugh and release some tension.
8. Perspective - Laughter is the fruit of levity, which allows perspective to sneak into our narrow focus and cut through the aforementioned tension. Perspective reminds me that the Kingdom of God is bigger than me, bigger than my church and my country. Perspective reminds me that the fields are white for harvest and that the world needs Christ. Perspective also reminds me that I need more of Christ, whether I’m a missionary, minister, or one lost sheep among a million.
9. Pessimism – Hear me out; that’s a facetious phrase, but it probably got your attention. Here’s what I mean. We have oversight mechanisms for almost everything (like a Review of Presbytery Records Committee, and may God bless the men who are willing to serve on it) because we assume that even ministers and elders are fallible and need accountability. That’s a realistic and healthy pessimism. And yet, it’s not enough to counteract the last item on the list.
10. Hope - This may be the fruit of perspective. We may sometimes forget our need for Christ, as I mentioned, but we can also forget the reasons for hope among us. People in hard times become hope-a-phobic. We guard our expectations to keep them from getting crushed because disappointment is crushing. But the heart wants what it wants or else it doesn’t care, as Flannery O’Connor said. Solomon said it differently - God has put eternity in our hearts. I can’t explain all the reasons why, but after a week where I felt (at different times) tired, frustrated disappointed, impatient, and more, I am leaving with even more hope than I did when I started. God is at work, in many ways, much more than 10. As John Piper once tweeted: God is always working in a million ways, and you may be aware of three of them.
May the all-wise God be praised, now and forever.
-Pastor Matt, 7-3-25