So, internship ended and I'm starting to draw together some ideas of what it is to be pastor. It seems that to be the pastor is to love them...
A friend is supply preaching at my internship site right away and was asking me what the process would be like. Right away I could think of who was going to pay her, who would likely welcome her, and all these faces came into my head. It was really all about relationship in the end. All about a community of people that were all so different and all so amazing and challenging in all ways.
So all these years of seminary have loaded my brain with theology and new ideas and in the end... it would seem that the biggest challenge is going to be to love the people I'm called to serve. Not just the easy ones either... all the people.
I wonder who would be at seminary if you described the calling this way... just love your people. If you have not love, all the theology in the world isn't going to help. You just make noise.
Do I have the faith in the people? Am I willing to hope with them? Can I actually love them? This is the new challenge to ponder...
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5 comments:
And you said that you didn't have anything profound to say. It is much harder to make the profound simple than the simple profound. Someone once told me to just "keep it simple stupid." Good advice, especially for anyone with a theology degree.
by the way that last comment was from me (fleming)
The hardest part is loving your people when they arent very lovable. It doesnt happen often but when it does its hard to step above just being a human being yourself and being THEIR pastor. It is however, always always worth it.
I read a book that encouraged me to think of people as sinners... that way when they are unloveable it isn't such a surprise...
I've lots to learn in this department... for all my extroversion, I'm pretty guarded as to who I let emotionally close. It's hard to 'Love' from a distance and without personal risk.
As John Maxwell says, "People don't care how much you know until they know how you care."
I think that's great pastoral advice.
kgp
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