Category Archives: Pastoring

Herbert’s address to the reader

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Today I’ll begin working through parts of the Country Parson adding comments, taking Herbert up on his invitation to ‘add to those points’.   I would appreciate it if you would add comments on the readings as well.  The sections are small enough to post completely, you can find the full text at Project Canterbury or at Christian Classics Ethereal Library.  I hard copy of Herbert’s poems and the Country Parson, along with good annotations and introductory material can be found here.  For biographical information see here.

                    The Authour to the Reader.

BEing desirous (thorow the Mercy of GOD) to please Him, for whom I am, and live, and who giveth mee my Desires and Performances; and considering with my self, That the way to please him, is to feed my Flocke diligently and faithfully, since our Saviour hath made that the argument of a Pastour’s love, I have resolved to set down the Form and Character of a true Pastour, that I may have a Mark to aim at: which also I will set as high as I can, since hee shoots higher that threatens the Moon, then hee that aims at a Tree. Not that I think, if a man do not all which is here expressed, hee presently sinns, and displeases God, but that it is a good strife to go as farre as wee can in pleasing of him, who hath done so much for us. The Lord prosper the intention to my selfe, and others, who may not despise my poor labours, but add to those points, which I have observed, untill the Book grow to a compleat Pastorall.

When I first read the Country Parson I had thought that it was the wisdom of an old pastor passing on what he had learned to younger minsters.  I was surprised to find that it was actually written by Herbert before beginning his pastoral ministry.  Here he describes his book as a target or a goal.  What an excellent idea, writing and publishing to everyone, ‘this is who I want to be’.  Could you imagine someone publishing guide-book today before beginning work in a field?  What I find so appealing about this is that Herbert brings ideals to the pastorate that might have been worn down after years in the parish — the first few years of ministry are usually very disillusioning.

I love the line ‘hee shoots higher that threatens the Moon, then hee that aims at a Tree’.  Reach for goals higher than you can hit and you’ll do better than simply grabbing for something within reach.

 

Us at Salisbury Cathedral

Here we are at Salisbury Cathedral, where Herbert was ordained a priest 19 September 1630.

Vocation of Fatherhood

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We’re having beautiful weather today and I got to enjoy my calling to be a father…I took my daughter fishing in our neighbor’s pond.  We didn’t catch anything, we did see one jump at the plastic worm I managed to tangle around some limbs.  But we spent some time together and saw a cocoon, a turtle and a nice sunset.  It was a nice reminder as I work to minister in my vocation as a pastor that I also have a vocation as a father.

Linux for the small church

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I have recently installed linux on my old laptop and I’m loving it.  I’m keeping Windows on my main computer until I finish writing my thesis, but from what I’ve seen Kubuntu (a type of linux) could easily replace windows and there is software for everthing I need to do.

Actually I reinstalled XP so I could dual boot it with Kubuntu.  The installation and updated of XP took much longer than Kubuntu and Kubuntu had all of the drivers I needed while I had to download them from Dell for the XP installation.

I simple distribution looks like a good idea for pastors, especially small churches.  I have set up a system that would do everything I need for the church at the cost of burning one CD.  There is a learning curve for linux, but as a solo pastor I’ve had to learn some basics about computers just to keep things running (my brother-in-law has been a helpful resource).  In other words if you have to learn how to do basic maintainence it doesn’t seem to really matter what system, you still have to read and figure out what your doing.  Furthermore,  I like the idea of open source  seems like it is very conducive to Churches or non-profit organizations.  Also, I’ve been impressed with Bible Time, a Bible study program that has a very intuitive interface compared to others I’ve used.

The neat thing is that several distributions have ‘live CDs’ that let you boot the system and try it out before actually installing it.

Country Preacher Wisdom

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 I met Dr. Tom Whatley, currently interim pastor at First Baptist Church in Tuscumbia,   this evening.  He made a great comment about country churches.  He said that when he was in seminary, when a nice Mayflower moving truck with professional movers  came to take a new graduate to a church he would tell everyone to pray for the new preacher, that he was in for a rough time.  When a young minister going to their first call was picked up with somebody in an old cattle trailer covered in hay and manure he would say don’t worry about him, he’s going to be alright.

Amen

Ordinary Time

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They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”… Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus’ work as Prophet, Priest and King is now continued on the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s Body, the Church. The Church is to proclaim the Gospel of the Prophet, She is a royal priesthood under the High Priest of Jesus and She is an Ambassador for Christ, Citizens of the Kingdom of God. The ministry of all the Baptized is the continuation of these offices as Christ’s Body to the World, so we pray in the Great Thanksgiving, “As this bread is Christ’s body for us, may we be Christ’s body to the world.” (Great Thanksgiving from the Book of Common Worship) As those charged with the prophetic task of proclaiming the Gospel, we share the story of Christ to the World and preach the mystery to the powers and principalities. As a royal priesthood we continually offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. We intercede for the world around us. We remind the world of God’s Law. As servants of the King we live a life of obedience that is different from those around us. We work to build the imminent Kingdom of the prince of peace by doing the work Christ did, teaching, healing and serving. We walk in this life through prayer, scripture reading and corporate worship.

In addition to the ministry of all the Baptized, the Church is given the gift of leaders for her well being. Although the church has ordered Her ministry differently in various traditions, the basic ministry, roughly parallel to prophet, priest and king, is that of Word, Sacrament and Order.

Ministers are entrusted to guard the Revelation that was preached by the Apostles and handed down through the ages. Ministers are to proclaim the Gospel message in a way that is relevant to each age, though without adding to or taking away from the Words of Life. Ministers also administer the sacraments to God’s people. They distribute the gifts of God to His people in His name. Additionally, so that all things may be done “decently and in order,” the Church is given officers who keep order and discipline within the bounds of the community. The tasks of ministry are not merely human endeavors, for in proclaiming the gospel, in celebrating the sacraments and exercising the power of the keys it is Christ Himself who is ministering. Christ Himself speaks to the Church, is present in the covenant signs and in the decisions of rule. “Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God.” (I Peter 4:11) “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?” (I Corinthians 10:16) And in Matthew 18, Jesus teaches on Church discipline with the promise that “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

The Church’s foundational service to God is regular corporate worship on the Lord’s Day. In this gathering we again meet the risen Christ on our way, He shares again with us Scripture and is seen in the breaking of bread. The Church is wherever the presence of Christ is. It is the Living Word spoken by the Father and empowered by the Spirit that calls the Church into existence. “Wherever we see the word of God sincerely preached and heard, wherever we see the sacraments administered according to the institution of Christ”, in other words, we find the Church when Emmaus is relived. (Calvin’s Institutes, 4.1.9)

The Lord’s Supper is the defining aspect of Christian worship. Although the table is never separated from the pulpit, the acts of Taking, Blessing, Breaking and Giving order the Church’s Liturgy and gives shape to Her whole life. In the Eucharist we render our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15) In the Feast of Holy Communion we are united with the Christ who is truly present and all who are baptized in His name. At the Lord’s Supper we “do this in remembrance of the Lord” who paid the sacrifice for us and called us into Covenant. This sacred meal brings time into eternity, we look back in remembrance of the Lord’s earthly life, and we share union with Christ in the present and look forward to the future “when we shall feast with Him in glory.” (Great Thanksgiving from the Book of Common Worship)

This brings us back to Advent when we remember and long for our coming Savior. The Christian life is about what Christ has done and continues to do in and through us. Christ continually forms us through the gifts of the Church. He calls us deeper into union with Him through His Covenant. As we are gathered into Christ, we are taken into the whole of the Holy Trinity. The part we play is small. It is not passive, it is prayer, hope, rest, study, eat, and work. But it is God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who creates, redeems and sanctifies us. We are brought into this Life simply by receiving this amazing Grace through an active faith, which itself is a gracious gift from the One who saves.

Gospel and Place: the Pastor’s Calling

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Cabin

In a few hours I will be calling the people in this place to come together for the sole purpose of worshipping our Lord.  We will sing and pray to the God who created this beautiful land we have worked and played in all week.  We will listen to the Word of the One who ‘dwelt among us’ and died for our sins on a cross.  And we will ask that the Spirit stirs us again to be renewed to deal with the disappointments, fears and guilt that build up between Lord’s Days. 

While singing a hymn last Sunday I, looking out on a congregation of not quite 40 that day, thought about the large churches in cities that would be playing huge pipe organs, having anthems sung by choirs larger than our whole congregation and hearing sermons by preachers who had more time and skill to devote to studying the Bible and preparing an eloquent sermon.  Many churches on any given Sunday would have congregations larger than our whole community. 

As I thought of this I turned toward the altar.  It is the same Lord we are worshipping.  Our congregation might not be large, but the God we worship is, and it is His presence that makes the Church.  God is no less present in a house church of two or three gathered in his name than in the biggest mega-church or most beautiful cathedral (Salisbury would win for me!). 

I have often thought along these lines.  I once heard Eugene Peterson say that the Pastor is responsible for the Gospel in a particular place.  This stewardship of the good news in a specific context and location has shaped the way I view ministry.  I’m not just a minister of a small congregation somewhere.  I’m the pastor of specific people with histories and destinies – vocations and a story to live out.  But a minister is also a steward of the mysteries of God in a place.  So my ministry intersects the Natchez Trace and Bear Creek, in some way it has a bearing on all of God’s creation: the trees, the river and the deer. 

 Thinking like this helps me remember that we are ministers of the Lord before we are ministers for the people.  If we are concentrating on the number of worshippers in our congregation we are not concentrating on the One we worship.  If we look at our ministry area solely through demographic data, we miss something about the PLACE in which we minister.  I think Peterson was right and it is a great joy to immerse oneself into unique people and a specific place.