Thursday, November 26, 2020

The Role of a Pastor

 

                                                                   (Cancun sunrise)

Happy Thanksgiving to my pastoral colleagues!

I'm reading some Eugene Peterson this morning. Peterson keeps me focused. 

In The Unnecessary Pastor he writes:

"Pastors are in charge of keeping the distinction between the world's lies and the gospel's truth clear... 

Our place in society is, in some ways, unique: no one else occupies this exact niche that looks so inoffensive fensive but is in fact so dangerous to the status quo. We are committed to keeping the proclamation alive and to looking after souls in a soul-denying, denying, soul-trivializing age. 

But it isn't easy. Powerful forces, both subtle and obvious, attempt tempt either to domesticate pastors to serve the culture as it is or to seduce duce us into using our position to become powerful and important on the world's terms. And so we need all the help we can get to maintain our gospel identity."