The Responsibility Of A Minister

There are basically three types of readers: the first group are those who read books when they were in school because they had to, but now that they are out of school they haven't read a book in years. The second group consists of those who "dabble" in reading. They may read a newspaper everyday, they may pick up the latest Grisham or Clancey novel, but they never really get into reading. Reading is something that may or may not happen each day. Then there is the third group, of which I am a part of. This group devours books like they are eating their last meal. They savor every letter, every word, every page. This group may have fast readers or slow readers, but for them, reading isn't a chore. It's an adventure. It's an opportunity to learn just a little more about a subject that excites them, an opportunity to once again delve into a different world (as I am doing right now, reading the entire Chronicles of Narnia again. I just started The Silver Chair.). It's an opportunity to learn about a new subject, something unfamiliar but becomes more familiar with every page turned.

There are times when I read a book, and it just doesn't hit me. When a book hits me, I will find myself stopping, closing the book for a couple of minutes, and chewing on what I just read. But sometimes, I'm just not in the right frame of mind, or the subject matter doesn't seem applicable at the time - and when I'm done reading I may appreciate the book but it won't "stick" with me. However, days...months...even years later, I pick up that book again, read it and find that this time it hits me.

I'm reading a book called The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson. I purchased three books in a series by him, all about being in the ministry. One is called Five Smooth Stones, the other has something to do with angles. (My office is too dark and I'm too tired at this point to look at my bookshelves and try to find the book.) I remember reading this book in 2004, but it wasn't the right time, I guess. Nothing stuck. But this time, as I started reading it again last night, (honestly, I have probably passed over it a hundred times in favor of a different book, but last night it seemed appealing to me again) every page seemed to drip with incredible truths that I needed to think about at this time in my life and ministry. Even the preface of the book, which is more of an interview with the author (I don't know if I've ever seen a preface like this) spoke to me in many ways. And that's what this post is about. Something that Peterson said resonated within me in a huge way:

Interviewer: As a pastor then, you see grace in some unlikely situations.

Peterson: Yes, and my job is not to solve people's problems or make them happy, but to help them see the grace operating in their lives. It's hard to do, because our whole culture is going the other direction, saying that if you're smart enough and get the right kind of help, you can solve all your problems. The truth is, there aren't very many happy people in the Bible. But there are people who are experiencing joy, peace, and the meaning of Christ's suffering in their lives. The work of spirituality is to recognize where we are - the particular circumstances of our lives - to recognize grace...sometimes I think all I do as pastor is speak the word "God" in a situation in which it hasn't been said before, where people haven't recognized his presence. Joy is the capacity to hear the name and to recognize that God is here. Ther's a kind of exhilaration because God is doing something and, even in a little way, it's enough at the moment.

I think one of the reasons why this hit me is because it sounds very similar to what Henri Nouwen's mantra was when it came to the role of a minister. He wrote this in one of his classic books, called "In The Name Of Jesus":

- I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her vulnerable self. That is the way Jesus came to reveal God's love. The great message that we have to carry, as ministers of God's word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life.

I think people are looking to those who are called by God to ministry to, as Philip Yancey says, dispense grace. To demonstrate through example how to recognize and thank God for the grace moments that are present at all times in all of our lives. No matter what we are going through, no matter what we've been through, grace is present. Grace is a reality. And recognizing grace in our lives is hard work sometimes. Thank you, Eugene Peterson for reminding me what I'm supposed to be about.