October 2, 2009
Dr. Paul Martin, you are in charge of this seminary called, ABSW. Being in charge sounds pretty good until you realize that it means unclogging toilets when your able maintenance staff is not around.
Being in charge sounds pretty good until income revenue is falling below your goals and the global economic problems are out of your hands.
Being in charge sounds pretty good because you have all the abilities, insights and experiences to fulfill the responsibilities of this seminary. You are the 21st president and God willing, you will you not be the last, but you are in charge today.
We read in 1 Chronicles 9 as well as in other Old Testament books that for the Israelites to secure the camp, there were gatekeepers who open the gates every morning, some were in charge of the holy utensils of service, some in charge of the furniture, the flour, the wine, the oil, the incense, and the spices. Some were in charge of making the flat cakes for each of the Sabbath. I bet you that some were in charge of unclogging toilets.
You are ultimately in charge of the campus across the street. As one of the seminary’s Trustees, I charge you to be in charge of our wonderful campus of learning and professional development.
But as we sit in this auspicious sanctuary, it can also look like a court of law. Today we are bringing charges against you because we have found you guilty of being a leader with integrity. You have stood for sincerity, honesty and high principles. Your heart is always searching for doing what is right rather than what may be expedient.
Today we are bringing charges against you because we have found you guilty of affirming our unity in our diversity and advocating for multicultural ministries. You want all students, pastors, community leaders, and friends to come to ABSW to make it a “seminary without walls!” No brick or mortar would prevent anyone who wants to prepare himself or herself to become a humble servant of our Lord to study here. There are no gatekeepers in this camp tent to keep some people out. You are charged to be guilty of this.
Today we are bringing charges against you because we have found you guilty of being a pastor. You have a pastor’s heart of passion and compassion. Since you have served as a local church pastor for so many years, the seminarians who come to this school will be able to learn directly from one who has a heart for ministry. In light of recent discontent and misunderstandings, your pastor’s heart has led you to bring reconciliation to our school once again. You are guilty for all of this and not to be proven innocent.
There was another Paul who was brought to King Agrippa with charges of being an agitator, a pestilent fellow, ringleader of Christians, and challenger of the religious authorities. When Paul the Apostle testified, he shared how when he was on the road to Damascus to arrest the Christians, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to him, blinded him and converted him to become a believer and not a prosecutor. Paul the Apostle was also guilty of knowing the Lord.
He said in Acts 26:22,
To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place: that the Messiah must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.
Paul, the new President of ABSW, you stand guilty like Paul the Apostle in preaching about the Good News of Jesus Christ to all people, our people and to the Gentiles. You know the Lord.
Now I know that if you are currently a student at ABSW, Dr. Martin is also going to charge you tuition fees and registration fees and maybe even late fees. He may charge your credit card and may even charge into your classes to collect the fees you owe him. As President of ABSW, Dr. Martin will make sure that all charges are duly collected so that professors can be in the classrooms, the PG&E bill is paid, and he can buy a bottle of Liquid Plumber to unclog the toilet.
In 2 Timothy 4:1-5, Paul gave a charge to his young assistant, Timothy. Paul said,
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly charge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
There are many out in the world who want to take charge of God’s people. People are always looking out for the newest fad or false teaching to believe in. Dr. Martin, you need to scratch those itchy ears with sound doctrine as President of ABSW.
Because people are easily swayed to follow teachers to suit their own desires, as President of ABSW, you are charged to convince, rebuke, encourage and be patient to lead God’s people back to Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul tells Timothy that he needs to be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable. As President of ABSW, you are always in charge whether it’s the Fall Semester or the Spring Semester, whether it’s the January term or the Summer Session. Even when you think that you are on vacation, you are in charge!
There are about 5300 ABC churches in the American Baptist Churches but only 10 seminaries. The odds of you filling the position of being President of ABSW is great but today you are.
I understand that you were getting ready for retirement when we called you to become the 21st President of ABSW in the 21st century. I always preach to our congregation that there’s no such thing as retirement in Christ’s Church. We have discharged you from retirement and counting on you to take charge so that ABSW will become the best theological educational institution west of the Mississippi if not in the entire country.
As your Trustee, pastor of a supporting church, and your friend, I charge you to be in charge and to charge forward as the next President of ABSW! May God bless you and Agnes in the years to come! Thanks be to God!