Pep Talk for Pastors
Hey my friend, guess what? You are doing an AMAZING job with all of this!
By “this” I mean the global pandemic. By “this” I mean the working sphere you find yourself in which has entirely changed.
By “this” I mean the pulsating anxiety fluctuating in intensity throughout the day. All of it, that’s what I mean. Everything that is happening around us and within us and will be for the foreseeable future.
Maybe you, like me, think you aren’t doing enough. I mean you’re reading this when you could be live-streaming a daily office – right now! Reading this means you aren’t downloading and studying one of the incredible resources that Virginia Theological Seminary shared after a virtual, post-grad class I never imagined taking: “Triduum Under Quarantine.”
And yes, it’s great that we have those resources. I am beyond thankful. It is so good that there are wise, intelligent and compassionate professors who took time to give us something when we feel bereft of how to navigate our priestly role at the altar in times like these.
But the thing is my friend, you were made for such a time as this (cf. Esther). And you have exactly what you need to pastor and preach and plan and lead, right now.
Because you have faith in God and God has faith in you.
I remember the last Pastoral Theology class of the last semester, of the last year of seminary. Anxiety was high, to say the least. Our professor was leading us through our final “what if” congregational scenario. A very unsatisfying exercise for anxious people craving certainty.
One of my fellow classmates grew agitated in our discussion and worried aloud that if we couldn’t figure this scenario out now, than how in the world would we be able to when we’re in the congregation? My hand shot up. I was anxious and frustrated too.
“Hey,” I said, “do we have any faith at all that we were called into this work? That we know we are not capable of doing this work, except by the grace of God? There is no way we are going to have all the answers, now. So how about we just pray and trust that wherever we go the Holy Spirit will lead, guide and enable us to do the work God has given us to do when we get there?”
Hold the “Amen!” I’m an external processor. Which means I have to say things aloud in order to make up my mind, choose my course of action or way of being. Hence, my mini-outburst of blessed assurance was my own personal pep talk. Because yes, my head believed that to be true, and still does. But my heart and my soul were just as anxious as my friends of the unknowns we were walking towards.
But saying it aloud helps. It reminds me of what I know. Putting words around what we believe is what preaching is, right? Putting words around our faith in ways that open our hearts and minds is what helps us open the hearts and minds of others.
It’s Preaching 101. We preach what we need to hear. And if we aren’t preaching what we need to hear, then, I don’t think others hear it either. That’s what makes the connection. Preachers who are people.
My routine, thus far, each morning during “this” has been to write a list for my day. This week I learned that my lists are too long. I cannot figure out how to do three Zoom classes, live stream Sunday worship, record a children’s chapel and make pastoral calls to at least ten parishioners. Not in one day.
I can, however, take one day to do one or maybe two of those things. And if I’m encouraging my people during “this” to take time for themselves, a break from screens, a break from the news, a walk outside. Then I need to do that too.
And if I need to write a post called “Pep talk for Pastors” knowing damn well that it’s really just a pep talk for me, then so be it. Because, hey, I’m a beloved child of God who happens to be an external processor and this is the work God has given me to do.
So, my preaching friends, you are doing an AMAZING job with all of this. We are in this for a long haul, so take a long view. Pace yourself. Lower your expectations. Look out for the mustard seed moments of gratitude that magnify your faith.
You were ordained for a time such as this. Have faith in God for God has faith in you. (cf: John 14:12; Ps 139:14; Matt 6:25-34; Gen 1:31; Jer 17:7-8; Ps 40:4; etc.)
