Reflections on Ministry (pt. 3)

I could not relate to Dr. Lobody in the story she told to illustrate this next point because she talked about what it was like to be a woman and be ordained in the last part of the 20th Century. While I understood what she said, because I am male, I could not completely grasp all the dynamics of her struggles.

But her lesson was much deeper than a gender issue.

This is an issue I have struggled with my entire life, and once again I will turn to Henri Nouwen's amazing little book In The Name of Jesus for some more insight.

Dr. Lobody's lesson was this: We are to be faithful even in the ministry for which we are not remembered.

I remember looking over the time line so beautifully illustrated by the artistic team at the church. I remember seeing all the pictures blown up into huge posters like a life-sized scrapbook detailing the last 5 years of ministry at this young church where I had been serving. The church was only 5 years old and I had been there three and half of those years. We had seen amazing growth and God had done some wonderful things in that community.

But all I noticed was there were not any pictures of me.

I was supposedly someone important, but if you had not been part of this community and only saw this gallery of pictures, you might never know that I had even been there.

At first I was hurt. Then I was mad. Then I realized that maybe I was a little less important than I made myself out to be. God had to remind me that if I was in this vocation for recognition and fame, I needed to leave His service.

Back to Henri Nouwen. Using Jesus' temptation as a model, Nouwen notes that Jesus' second temptation was to be spectacular. Jump off this parapet and let the angels catch you!

In ministry, we often want to be the professional, the expert whose talents and skill save the day and fix everything. We want the people to stand in awe of us as we keep a safe distance from them. We want to be popular.

I want to be remembered.

But that is not our calling. Our calling is more like John the Baptist. I must decrease that He might increase.

We are called to be faithful, not remembered.

Under the Mercy,
Jason

Refections on Ministry (pt 2)

Another lesson Dr. Lobody mentioned revolved around a story from 9/11. She was teaching at The Methodist Theological School of Ohio then and came onto campus that fateful Tuesday morning hearing the news on the radio. Being from New York, she knew lots of people who lived, worked, and had ministries all around Manhattan and the towers.

After a day of processing and praying with students and faculty (and not being able to really talk at all), she prepared to teach a class on Wednesday. Obviously, the syllabus was thrown out the window for a while.

As she began to lecture the class, tears streamed down her face and she wept as she taught.

A lady in her class was blind and had a service dog named "Walter." Service dogs are working animals and generally one is not interact with the dog like a pet. So each day Dr. Lobody greeted Walter as though he were part of the class but did not pet him.

This day, as Dr. Lobody lectured and the tears streamed down her face, Walter got up from under the table, walked over to her and simply put up his paw. She took his paw and for the rest of the class, Walter simply held Dr. Lobody's hand as she taught.

This is a beautiful picture of the role many of us neglect: the ministry of simply holding someone's hand.

Henri Nouwen, in his book In the Name of Jesus, comments that Christian leaders need to move from competence to contemplative prayer. In other words, we need to shift our focus from being the fixers to being incarnation - the presence of Jesus for those around us.

Sometimes we forget that the most powerful act of ministry is to simply hold someone's hand.

Under the Mercy,
Jason