The Ordination

I thought it was about time that I write about my ordination experience. It was a great time with family and the church that has been supporting my family while in seminary. Evidence was shown of God's grace and his sovereignty over all things and I am still, a week and a half out, blown away by it all. God's providence never ceases to amaze me.
Sunday morning began with me preaching, the pastor wanted me to preach for 2 reasons: 1. he had never heard me preach and didn't know me that well, since he came after I had left for seminary and 2. he wanted some of the newer members of the congregation to see my heart for the Gospel. For my text I chose Ezekiel 36:22-32, and I had been struggling with this passage because there is so much in it. The church likes 15-20 minute sermons, and that tends to be the length of time I preach for, but not this time. No one knows for sure, and I do not look at the clock, but I think it was about 30 minutes. I was confident, relaxed and believe I preached the Gospel clearly, I hope the Lord was magnified by what I said. The service ended at about noon and so I got to spend about an hour and a half around family for lunch and then had to be back at the church by 2pm for the council.
The Ordination council is basically a time for asking the guy being ordained any question they want. The questions were theological, relational, personal and practical in nature. I was fortunate to have only ten people on the council, and most of them people I had known for awhile. I count it a special privilege to have had my grandpa on the council, who was ordained as a deacon in 1954 and has raised his family to follow Christ. My friend Matt, who gave the ordination message, was also there and said that I was very gracious in my answers. It was one of the first times I had been questioned like that, and I again felt confident and strengthened by the grace of God. Fortunately, the vote was unanimous to ordain me, which I believe to be another sign of God's calling into ministry.
At 3 pm, the ordination service began and I feel the Lord was glorified by the things said during the service. BreAnna and I were very encouraged by the prayers and love displayed to us. Matt's sermon went beautifully hand in hand with mine earlier that morning, a thing which we did not coordinate. His sermon was on Colossians 1:15-20, and according to him he shortened his sermon a little, but it wouldn't have mattered, the sermon was excellent, he preached the gospel clearly and he is a good preacher. We were blessed by his sermon.
Afterward, there was a reception for us. After all we're baptist, food has to be in there somewhere. I didn't get to talk with many people and could barely hear the ones I did talk with, but it was encouraging to see so many gathered together.
Praise God for his blessings and the power of his word. May his word continue to go forth and never come back void. Thank you for all your prayers.