Where to Begin?

     I'm here!  My boxes are in my office, waiting to be unpacked.  Sarah, our administrative assistant is next door stapling the bulletins.  It's a beautiful day outside, and I am giddy with excitement.  So many things to think about, so many things to ask, so many things to accomplish.  This has been a week of mysteries: what is in this box?  Where did this book come from?  Why is this in the pastor's office?? What's behind that door?  Where are the spoons?  When is trash day?  What should we do for confirmation?  Where is the kleenex stored?  Who can I ask about the hymns?  ...  And that's only one hour of my first day here at St. John.  There are so many mysteries, foremost in my mind are:

Why, God, have you called me to walk with the people who call themselves St. John Lutheran Church at this exact time in this exact place? 

What is the Holy Spirit up to in Ely, and who is God calling us to be as church? 

What is God calling us to do?

        My ordination service was just this last Sunday, and one of the scriptures was Luke 24.44-50, when Jesus appears to his disciples post-resurrection and reminds them that they are witnesses to all that was foretold in Scripture, to the very life of God incarnate, the companions, friends, followers of Jesus Christ.  Witnesses.
        Witness comes from the Greek word martureo, the same root for the word martyr.  A martyr is simply one who proclaims what they have witnessed.  What have I witnessed that Christ is asking me to proclaim?  What have you witnessed?  These are just a handful in the myriad of mysteries I have encountered this week, and I look forward to how God reveals God's mysteries in the weeks, months, and years to come.