Gosh, has it been an interesting morning! I am often amazed at how quickly my plans go awry because of the needs of others. I plan my mornings out determining what I will be able to accomplish as the part-time pastor of my small church (I work a full time retail job in the afternoon and evenings). Then the phone starts ringing, or the email brings me a need, or there is a knock on the door. This morning all three things happened at the same moment while two persons were sitting in my living room already! All were situations demanding my immediate attention!
I am reminded of the pastor who once complained to his office administrator that if it weren’t for all the people interrupting his work he could get something done. She peered over her glasses at him and said, “I thought those people were your work!” And she was right! Pastors and other people in helping professions often forget who they are suppose to be helping, and what they are suppose to be doing, when they get caught up in the lesser important aspects of their profession.
How do I encourage those committed leaders of my small but struggling congregation who are encountering difficulties with the very people they want to help but who are not cooperating with them to achieve the best help that can be given? How do I counsel those who come to me because the world has rejected them again and again, leaving them with no hope, feeling totally powerless in the face of overwhelming red-tape and reluctant gate-keepers in their quest for equality and justice in their lives? How do I bring together those who would rather not work together, nor be in the same worship service with each other, because of personal problems and issues in the relationship? Only by the power and presence of Christ living in my life can I even begin to attempt to deal with each person and situation.
Thankfully I am discovering resources that can provide some answers and helpful persons who can tackle some of the issues for me. If I had to do it all by myself then I’d really be up the proverbial creek my father used to talk about when life got difficult for him. That phrase was more meaningful in a rural farm culture than it is in a big city like Seattle. Sometimes it does seem like I’m in a dead end situation with no way out when I begin to help others figure out what God wants them to do with their life today and in the future. Then, as I struggle with the situation I begin to see glimmers of light, beams of hope, possibilities where there previously seemed to be none, resources that I didn’t even know existed until I began asking for advice.
I am so thankful for Rev. Michelle Carmody, my associate pastor, for the musical talents of our worship leaders, Erin and Mark, for the very effective members of my pastoral ministry team, and for the wisdom and efforts of our board of directors. Without the help and encouragement of each one of these committed and gifted persons I would not be able to function effectively as the part-time pastor of a church that is going through revitalization and renewal!
In this week’s Gospel passage from Mark 8:27-38 the disciples misunderstand what kind of ministry Jesus is going to have. They still want a political leader who will drive out the Romans and take over the Temple. They want to be in charge of the new community that they believe Jesus will establish. But the kind of community Jesus wants to build is very different from what they hope it will be like.
So it is with growing the new community of God here in Seattle. We get all mixed up about what we want church to be and forget to ask what God wants. When things don’t turn out like we had planned, we ask what went wrong, what didn’t we do right, how can we correct the situation? The truth is that sometimes we are just doing the wrong thing, going in the wrong direction and we should stop and ask ourselves what this seeming failure is telling us about what God truly desires from us. If we do that prayerfully, filled with confidence and hope in God, we may begin to see some glimmers of hope and some signs pointing toward what we are to do and become.
As Jesus told the disciples, it’s time we take up our cross and carry it forward toward the future God wants to give to us. Bearing up under a cross is hard work, frustrating and extremely difficult. But it can be done and the glory that is waiting is incredible. Remember that a cross came before the Resurrection! But what a Sunday morning that was!
It’s at least something to think about!
No comments:
Post a Comment