I’ll be the first to confess: it is easy for me to get lost in my head – easy for me to ride a wave of thought and prayer until it comes crashing into the shore, and I’m left having to get up, shake myself off, and head on to more practical matters.
I don’t regret it. I like the ride. And quite honestly I think it’s a good thing for a pastor to do, as thoughts and prayers like those are the ones that helped many of us hear our calls in first place. So let me offer this by way of preparation: if you walk into the church, or see me about town, and I’m wandering aimlessly and talking to myself, do not be alarmed.
Do, however, say hello.
Because I need it. Because a pastor is not called merely to be lost in thought and prayer, but rather to walk with others, and to live in the real messy-middle of everyday life. A pastor is called to hear stories, to share stories—to share where we hear the presence of God and the pulse of faith beating within us, uniquely and collectively.
This is why I invite you, Monday evenings, to share my first glance at the week’s lectionary readings. I want to know what is on your mind, what questions or ideas you have, and where God is nudging you. Sharing scripture with you helps to keep me firmly grounded in everyday life, and helps me find God’s presence there. I don’t have “answers” in our Monday Bible Study… I celebrate questions.
And likewise, a church is called not to merely be lost in worship, in study and song and prayer. We are called to open our doors—not only to welcome the stranger into our Sanctuary, but also to carry our faith into the world and introduce ourselves to strangers.
As I look toward my service of installation in a few weeks, I find myself reflecting on what therole of a pastor is in a church? I think it is the same as the role of the church in the community. Our work is to meet people where they are at, to honor them, each as unique and beloved children of God.
Be it a person mourning loss, a person struggling with addiction, a person who has been rejected or ridiculed—just as much as a person who has fallen in love, a person thriving in a state of curiosity, creativity, and exploration—they are all holy. They are stories longing to be told. They are lives longing to be shared.
So to my church community: just as a wise person might say I should not be lost in the thoughts of my past, so should the church not be lost in its past. Just as I should not spend all my hours lost in my thoughts, so the church should not spend all of its energy lost in our day-to-day maintenance. We both need the wider community, the real life and lives around us—to interrupt us… to say hello. Tune in with faith and we’ll find God there.
Enjoying the Journey, Sometimes you just have to meet somebody where they’re at.
Pastor Paul