Cloud Shapes

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Was this passage the inspiration for the touching scene in The Lion King? You know the one. Mufasa directed Simba’s attention up to the stars and in the Broadway musical sang, “They Live in You.”

Probably not, but I am going to pretend it was!

The stars in the sky, like clouds molded into a work of art, call our attention to those who have gone before us, to the great cloud of witnesses who shaped our lives on earth.

Who do you remember when you gaze at the clouds or the stars? Who lives in you? Who ran the race with perseverance and waits beside Christ for you?

Today I am remembering my internship supervisor, Tom Zarth, who died on Ash Wednesday re-membered with Christ and the great cloud of witnesses, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

A requirement of ordained pastoral ministry in the ELCA is a year of internship, which I am grateful to have spent at Oak Grove Lutheran Church in Richfield, Minn. In those days, internship typically took place the third of four years of seminary. The fourth year, then, allowed students one more year or learning and processing after practicing ministry on internship.

My timeline had to be adjusted, however. When interviews took place for internships, I asked to stay in the Twin Cities because Marcus had a landscape business and was going to college. Like many others, I interviewed with a handful of pastors and deacons (mostly pastors). The seminary then assigned students to internship sites based on the preferences of both the students and pastors.

I had no offers. Nada. Although I sorted through all the feelings of rejecting, thankfully no congregation chose me as their #1 student. Thankfully because, had I interned my third year like all my classmates, I would have missed out on Oak Grove.

In these days of remembrance and grieving, people will recall Tom Zarth’s solid preaching, his gentle pastoral presence, his musical gifts and radical hospitality. He served at Oak Grove for decades.

The people in your cloud of witnesses are there because of the unique ways they shaped your life. Tom was a formative witness for pastoral ministry for me because he was genuinely human. You can think of pastors who lead with personality, who can mistakenly convert worship into a show. Tom led with authenticity. He preached, sang, and loved the neighbor with the gentle justice Marty Haugen sings of.

Distinctly, I remember when he played his guitar and sang “My Soul Cries Out,” the new rendition from the emerging ELW, at a conference gathering among his colleagues. I had no idea at the time how incredibly brave that was. The Twin Cities include a competitive culture for ELCA pastors and singing along is vulnerable. That song was a mark of his ministry.

I remember one Council meeting when he was almost late. He explained how their three-year-old was excited to hang out with him and not her mom for once, and he didn’t want to miss out. He may have been the first pastor to tell me the perk of the work is its flexibility. Ministry is incredibly intense at times, and at other times it allows you to go to your kids’ events at school.

Who might you remember with thanksgiving this week as you gaze at the clouds or the stars? Who has shaped your life?

Thank you, Lord, for Tom Zarth and for all the cloud of witnesses who have run with perseverance and now rest in you. Amen.

Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash