that's us at Orchard Rd, Singapore

The Calling of God

The call

I find the following exerpt about the call to ministry by Eugene Patterson well written -

"Because we set out to do something quite different. We set out to risk our lives in a venture of faith. We committed ourselves to a life of holiness. At some point we realized the immensity of God and of the great invisibles that socket into our arms and legs, into bread and wine, into our brains and our tools, into mountains and rivers, giving them meaning, destiny, value, joy, beauty, salvation. We responded to a call to convey these realities in Word and sacrament. We offered ourselves to give leadership that connects and coordinates what the people in this community of faith are doing in their work and play with what God is doing in mercy and grace.
In the process, we learned the difference between a profession, a craft, and a job.

A job is what we do to complete an assignment. Its primary requirement is that we give satisfaction to whomever makes the assignment and pays our wage. We learn what is expected, and we do it. There is nothing wrong with doing jobs. To some extent, we all have them; somebody has to wash the dishes and take out the garbage.

But professions and crafts are different. In these, we have an obligation beyond pleasing somebody. We are pursuing or shaping the very nature of reality, convinced that when we carry out our commitments, we benefit people at a far deeper level than if we simply did what they asked of us.

Thomas Fischer writes:-
What is a "super" pastor?
Simply one who, in spite of the conflict, disappointment, frustration and anger--and the accolades, praise and success--never, ever loses sight of the most important thing: a vital connectedness with God... Whatever the condition of "super" pastor--broken or unbroken, celebrated or collapsed--and whatever the condition of the church--growing or dying, unified or schizoid, enthusiastic or disheartened--the affirmation of God's calling remains. Isaiah wrote, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good tidings..." (Isaiah 52:7 NIV). That is what makes any pastor a "super" pastor. Beautiful feet. No matter where God leads those feet, and no matter what they experience, those feet remain beautiful because they singular mark of a "super" pastor: they proclaim the Gospel. No matter what the circumstances, in season or out, the "super" pastor continues to preach the Word wherever God leads those awesome, beautiful feet. Are you a "super" pastor? It's easy to tell if you are. Don't look around you. Don't look at your church. Don't look at your leaders. Don't look at your antagonists. Don't look at your church's problems or successes. Don't even look at yourself in the mirror. Just look at your feet.

Wow!