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2 FALL 2024
PRESBYTERIAN
Connection
MESSAGE FROM THE MODERATOR
presbyterian.ca
Narratives of Hope and Possibility
By the Rev. Dr. Pat Dutcher-Walls, Moderator of the 2024 General Assembly
The church has been issued an invitation this coming year to tell stories and engage our spiritual imagination in the service of our faithfulness and future as God’s people. Under the direction of the Assembly Council, a working group has been tasked to con- sider narratives of hope and pos- sibility to help the church imagine, learn and act upon narratives that could lead to renewal, transforma- tion and vitality for congregations, cour ts and agencies of the church. However, the task of considering narratives of hope and possibil- ity is not just the responsibility of the working group, but rather an encouragement to all of us to par- ticipate. (Learn more about Narra- tives of Hope and Possibility in the Summer edition, page 17.)
In my role as moderator, and to be helpful to the wider initiative, let me share some of my reflec- tions on narratives of hope and possibility. In a way, you might consider what you, your congre- gation, your presbytery and your synod are being asked to do is to
“write your own adventure story” that inspires your future. However, as Christians we’re being asked to follow Jesus in adventuring where the Spirit might lead us so that we strive always to let our lives, faith and witness be shaped by God.
Many of our stories will be rooted in our heritage and tradi- tions, and in the remembrance of the saints who have preceded us; lots about imagining a future requires remembering the past. Wecanseethisinoneofmyfa- vourite Bible passages: Isaiah 43. Isaiah’s words were addressed to the exiles in Babylon to give them hope for a future they could barely imagine. To wake up his audience, he announces, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs for th, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18–19).
Isaiah is trying his hardest to give hope to the people by prom- ising “a new thing.” However, even as he says that, the oracle in which this message is embedded is full of references to the “former things”—the creation narratives, the Exodus story, God’s history of deliverance and compassion. In verse 20, which follows right on doing “a new thing,” Isaiah proclaims God’s promise: “I will make a way in the wilderness.”
Yes, that’s new, but it’s also as old as the people’s narratives of the wilderness wandering on their way to the land of promise. We don’t leave our memories or our tradi- tions behind as we consider where the Spirit is leading us now.
That said, much about our sto- rytelling at this moment for the church will ask us to consider how we might try “a new thing”; to consider how new possibili- ties might be asked of us as the Spirit leads. We might find that we need to change, or the way we do things as a congregation needs a new approach, or new structures, or a new way of thinking and pray- ing. But let’s be real—change is difficult.
I am reminded of a cartoon I saw in a Facebook post. In the first car toon panel, a speaker is asking a group, “Who wants change?” and everyone is smiling with their hands raised enthusias- tically. In the second panel, when the speaker asks, “Who wants to change?”, no hands are raised and everyone is glumly looking at the floor. If change hits too close to our cherished identities, or our comfor table ways of doing things, it can feel like an unfair imposition.
This is when deep prayer and thoughtful conversation and col- laboration among groups in the church are needed. Our Presby-
terian approach to discernment builds on the understanding that the Spirit works in and through the shared, sustained and prayer- ful deliberations of congregations, presbyteries, synods and the Gen- eral Assembly. Considering narra- tives of hope and possibility at all levels of the church will require ex- actly that—discernment. It will be difficult, deep and reflective work, but also a path of sharing, joy and, dare we say it, fun!
One final thought about our year of sharing narratives of hope and possibility—don’t be shy! Think outside the old boxes! Pray lots!
Use your imagination! Trust the Spirit! We need lots of narratives, reflections and experimentation across the church in many locales and in ways that reflect the vari- ous faces of the PCC. Our future will probably not be a “one size fits all” garment, but a rich tapes- try of faithful thought, spirituality, prayers, actions, initiatives and experiments. Some congregations are already pursuing interesting ideas. Others are just star ting to try on a new thought. All of us are called to follow Christ and be the church Christ needs to live out the love of God for the world.
VST Names the Rev. Dr. Pat Dutcher-Walls Professor Emerita
The Vancouver School of Theology (VST) named the Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls Professor Emerita in appreciation of her years of teaching and ministry at VST and in the broader church.
The Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls retired as Professor of Hebrew Bible and Dean of the Faculty at Vancouver School of Theology on July 1, 2021. Several decades of students, first at Knox College and then at VST, have Prof. Dutcher-Walls to thank for their introduction to the Hebrew Bible, and lay people from coast to coast have benefited from her ministries of teaching and preaching.
“a future
and a hope”
Jeremiah 29:11
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