For such a time as this

For such a time as this, God gives a special call

For leaders in an interim space, when change and loss befall.

 

To hear and understand, to see and to embrace; 

God’s servant, called to feed this flock, is charged to lead with grace.

 

In time of change and doubt, between now and “not yet,”

This shepherd leads the church away from yearning and regret.

 

A church that faces loss, still charged to live in grace,

Must find its way from clinging past to hopeful, growing space.

 

In such a time as this, where fear and conflict fall,

God’s church is called to stand and serve and give itself for all. 

 

 

Text: Charles Spence Freeman, November 2021, at Interim Ministry Training

Music: Suggested tune FESTAL SONG, William H. Walker, 1894.

Written during Interim Ministry Training workshop at Union Presbyterian Seminary, November 15-19, 2021.