Dear members and friends of Redeemer,
In the early evening of June 10th, sitting at my dining room table, I took my oath of office and was commissioned as a Navy Reserve Chaplain. It was a monumental moment at the end of an ordinary day. Winnie was outside playing with her neighborhood friends. Megan was sitting on the couch, winding down from a mentally demanding day. I had known since earlier that morning that I would be taking the oath, but I do not think I fully understood what it would mean until I said the words out loud. Afterward, Megan told me that hearing me say them out loud landed with her in a way she had not expected.
This moment of becoming a Navy Chaplain has been a long time coming, one I’ve held with an open hand. About eleven years ago, the call to military chaplaincy first came into focus for me. I was not yet ordained, so I could not obtain the ecclesiastical endorsement the work requires. At the time, I was a chaplain resident, completing a year-long residency in Clinical Pastoral Education at the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The call was there, even if the credentials were not yet in place.
I have shared before that my father and both of my grandfathers served in the military. Growing up, I do not remember feeling a particularly strong pull toward that world. My father never pushed it on his children. We knew he served, but his service did not consume our lives. But as I write this reflection, a memory I had forgotten comes back. In middle school, I enrolled in Junior ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) as an elective, even though most of my friends chose other courses. A choice made decades ago, one I barely think about, turns out to have been part of the same thread all along.
As a Navy Reservist, I am responsible for providing religious ministry, confidential pastoral care, and command advisement, all in support of the spiritual readiness of Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. That responsibility also includes maintaining my own mobilization readiness, which means I participate in one drill weekend per month (typically a Saturday and Sunday), along with annual trainings. It is a steady rhythm, woven into the rest of my life and ministry.
I am mindful of the climate we live in (geopolitical and otherwise), and even more mindful of what it means to use my spiritual gifts to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” while ministering to service members and their families in a pluralistic context. My role as priest is to proclaim, by word and deed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, fashioning my life according to those precepts; loving and serving the people among whom I work, whether young or old, strong or weak, rich or poor; nourishing Christ’s people from the riches of his grace while strengthening God’s people to live into the fullness of who God created them to be. That calling does not change, nor will it be compromised.
This expansion of my ministry beyond the walls of Redeemer is only possible because of the support of this community and our leadership. I will be bringing you all with me into the counsel and care of those service members in my charge. In a real sense, having you all as part of this journey is what helps in keeping me anchored. Pun intended.
Blessings,