The Peril and Promise of Preaching: Playing Hurt 7.21.2022

    Playing hurt in ministry begins with how getting hurt can happen. I was watching the 2021 Forego Stakes from Saratoga last summer when I saw something unique. I filed it away knowing that at some point it would be a valuable illustration. I didn’t know what of, till now. 

    Yaupon and Firenze Fire were dueling down the stretch in an exciting renewal of a sprint classic. As hard as he tried Firenze Fire could not get the lead. So, he savaged Yaupon. He bit him. Repeatedly. He grabbed his bridle, drew blood, and put the whole field in danger.  He tried to wound when he could not win. He tried to damage when he could not defeat. 

    Many preachers bear these kinds of wounds. Upon reflection, this is how I would describe my own wound from more than twenty years ago. While not the only kind of wound experienced in ministry it is far more frequent than you might imagine. In humans, our competitive spirit often presents as jealousy. Unable to exert control of the situation many members, deacons, elders, and others become resentful of the leadership of the preacher. So, they lash out like Firenze Fire going after Yaupon. Where humans are concerned savaging often succeeds. The circumstances of a local church being what they are, the preacher is generally an outsider (to one degree or another) and it is easier to excuse bad behavior, remove him, and move on.

    For we humans, the wounds are deeper, bloodier, and more permanent. But they need not become disabilities.  That’s what I will write about today.

Everyone I know in ministry has been wounded. Any time spent in the pulpit exposes you to both hostile and friendly fire. Sometimes the wounds are intentional and sometimes we get hit with the shrapnel of other people’s sin. 

“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5 ESV)

One of the points I have tried to make this month is that, despite all the commonalities between one preacher and another, we are all individuals. We are called from unique backgrounds and experienced variations in our formative and educational experiences. This is not a liability. This is just how being a human being works. We are different. Two preachers who have undergone the very same theological preparation for ministry, the same program of properly learning hermeneutics and Biblical studies will still be individuals when they enter their ministry. 

    This difference in personality, giftedness, and temperament can and should persist throughout our local ministries. This is how God intended ministry to work. People like you and me, ministering to others who are also like you and me. Each of us will process similar wounding experiences differently. Some will be so wounded that it is only with difficulty that ministry continues. Others will need to take a break to fully recover. Others will move on without grieving allowing wounds of anger, frustration, and emotion to fester or morph into inflexible scar tissue. Each of us heals differently. Ultimately the healing should lead to a new season of ministry. In that new season, you will be a smarter and more resilient version of yourself. But still you. 

    Jesus’ ministry, despite some similarities, was and is different from ours. Among the tangible lessons, we learn from His ministry is the one taught in Hebrews 5.7-9

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:7–10 (ESV)

Despite the wounds we bear, in following Jesus and learning obedience through our suffering we become the best version of who we are supposed to be. The version God needs. The one He wants. The one He is building. 

    Unfortunately, Yaupon never ran again. He retired to the breeding shed. He is a horse, so we can’t really debrief him. One noteworthy characteristic about him was that he was a speed horse that jumped into the bridal and ran as fast as he could for as long as he could, even with another horse trying to bite and wound him. He did not make excuses and he did not change styles to suit someone who savaged him out of jealous pride. 

    Be who God called you to be. Grow from the wounds. Keep learning and evolving Become the better version of you that can only come about through wounding. Learn obedience through your suffering and fulfill the ministry to which you were called. That’s how you play hurt.