Go out into the world...

I was recently preparing a meditation on Psalm 47 and it occurred to me that it expressed some of what I was trying to say about God’s use of the church and clergy with all of their frailties and limitations. I share it to contribute to our conversation about the nature of God’s redeeming love.

“He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves.”

It is curious that the psalmist refers to Jacob, his old name, rather than Israel, the name God gave him when he blessed him at the Jabbok. (Genesis 32:24-32) Up until that moment, while Jacob showed flashes of faith, the dominant feature of his personality was that of a conniver, or as his name suggested, a striver who was quite willing to trick and take advantage of others in order to better himself. Yet, like David at a later date, God seems to have a fondness for rascals.

Perhaps it is a sign of God’s patient work at redemption. The psalmist celebrates the anticipated future of God’s triumph. “Clap your hands, all you people; shout to God with loud songs of joy . . . He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.” The fact that this psalm is read as we celebrate the ascension recognizes that God’s triumph over evil does not come in a manner that most people expect. His victory is bought a brought about by a slain lamb (Revelation 5:9) who chose to rule as a servant.

The rascals of the world, including churches that act like rascals occasionally, are not beyond hope. Jacob became Israel, one who wrestled with God and man and prevailed. (Genesis 32:28) We frequently do not understand how God’s purposes can be accomplished in a world that is so resistant by a church that frequently is more interested in survival rather than faithfulness. Yet that same church hears the Scriptures, sings the songs, and prays the prayers through which God can work redemptive miracles.
“God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted.”

Such thinking doesn’t make me comfortable with the condition of the church but it does give me hope that maybe God did know what God was doing when the church was established.

Page raises the basic conundrum of the history of the church. From its beginning, as recorded in the Gospels, and certainly through church history, the church has been peopled by a myriad of people who do not measure up to even human expectation, let alone divine expectation. There are ample examples of pastors and members of churches that are self-serving, narrow minded, self-righteous, and all of the other negative characteristics that we might mention. One of the great and continuing scandals of the church is its disunity. For disciples who were told by their master that the world would know that we are Christ’s disciples if we love one another, we do a poor job of making that testimony.

This is not a new problem. From the beginning of Israel as a people and continuing on through the disciples and then on into church history, the question has always been, can God work through a clearly imperfect people. A unique feature of Scripture is that it refuses to white wash the leading figures of Scripture. Can we, as pastors and members trust the message of God to Paul that God’s grace is made perfect in our weakness.

If God does not require either churches or pastors to be perfect before God’s word is proclaimed, then how do we learn to trust that God knew what God was doing in establishing the church. Of course if we believe this, then the next question is whether we can trust this in our own ministry.

I have tried to express how I believe this plays out in the nature of the church in earlier posts but it is something that we need to continue to explore.

How often have you heard a pastor speak of being near burnout when what they really mean is that they are near exhaustion. I think that there is a big difference between exhaustion and burnout. Many pastors overextend themselves and experience exhaustion. They need to learn to manage their time better and get some extra rest, but they have not lost their enthusiasm for ministry. Burnout occurs when you have lost a sense of fulfillment in what you do. Getting some extra sleep or going on a vacation will not resolve that problem.

Viktor Frankl, in Man’s Search for Meaning, says “Give a man a why and he can endure almost any how but take away the why and almost any how is too much.” (that is a rough quote) That is a profound truth when it is applied to our conduct of ministry. If you absolutely knew that God called you to engage in an apparently boring activity and that by doing so, you would contribute to God’s purpose in creation, (That is the why), would you not engage in it willingly. Burnout is because you lose contact with the source of why in ministry. You become consumed by activity that seems both tedious and meaningless.

You won’t burnout if you are convinced that you are engaged in responding to God’s call. The critical question for today’s clergy is how they stay connected with the source of their call. When you lose that connection, then you will worship some other golden calf that promises you life.

Think about what the disciplines are that enable you to stay in contact with the source of your call. Addiction, in the broadest sense, is chosing the wrong golden calf that is never able to fulfill its promise and continues to demand more and more from you until it sucks you dry.

Without realizing it, you become a god unto yourself. While you yearn to tell someone else so that they can admire how clever you are, you can’t really do that. So you become a god, creating your own little universe and setting your own standards of right and wrong. (You have eaten the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.) If you give the appearance of success, others will praise you, but none can fully know who you are.
The kids are now in college. Marie has withdrawn into a little shell. We live with a silent agreement never to discuss where the money comes from. I’ve learned that religion sells and the internet expanded the market.

In the beginning, it was a thrill to be called by God. I believed I was being called to be part of God’s team to save the world. Somewhere that connection got lost. Maybe it was when I began to create my own little universe. At first it was for a good cause. I wanted to make Marie and the children happier. It felt good to please them. Soon my ego was stroked, not only their admiration but by my own cleverness. And there was also the risk. It makes me feel alive.

How long will it last. I’m not sure that an addict ever asks that question. They only focus on the next high. I’m speaking at a religious convention next week in Las Vegas. The title of my speech is “God didn’t create this rich earth and then call you to be poor.”
I’ve also been studying up on how to win at the Black Jack Table. Most people think it all depends on luck, but I think I’ve discovered a method that just might work.

THE END

Marie never asked the question, my children were happier, and not long after that I received a call to another church. This church had tighter controls on the offering plate, offered a slightly higher salary, and had a discretionary fund that was totally under the pastor’s control. It was funded by a special offering each quarter and was intended to enable the pastor to respond to the needy who came to the church for help and to help members discreetly who found themselves in crisis. Occasionally, I found that it was my family who had the need.

I must admit there was also a little thrill to the clandestine nature of my efforts. It’s very easy to lose awareness that you are working for God and feel ground down by the continual demands of the ordinary events in ministry. Each month you produce at least four bulletins and sermons, plan youth meetings, prepare a newsletter, visit the sick, listen to the woes of the elderly, and moderate several meetings that seen to accomplish very little. Occasionally there is a crisis or some conflict that get the juices going but frequently it is filled with the routine.

I’d read news articles about politicians, financial wizards, lawyers, and CEOs of large corporations getting caught accepting bribes or engaging in creative and profitable money making schemes.These weren’t people who were living in poverty. I often wondered what made them risk everything to get a little bit more when they already had enough.

I think I understand now. It wasn’t about the money. It was the thrill of living on the edge. It’s sort of like an addiction. It begins with some small rationalization that justifies your actions. Then there is a thrill of getting away with it. It makes you feel cleverer, wiser than others. Then, like dope, the old thrill is not enough. You have to raise the stakes, take more risks, and prove to yourself how brilliant you really are.