All at Once 10.27.2022

    I try and work diligently throughout October to put together a well-rounded, balanced Sermon Calendar for the next year. It would be wonderful if nothing else was going on and I could turn my full attention to this one big project. We all know that life does not work like that, particularly in the ministry 

    I have needed to keep up with my weekly exegesis for my current preaching. Beyond the study time needed there is requisite time for drafting, redrafting, editing, and producing the final sermon documents; my manuscript, a handout for the congregation, and a slide deck to be projected. Fortunately, we now have software tools that help streamline the process. Where I live and preach, I’m the guy using those tools. There are other teaching assignments each week, reading and studying for long-term growth, and keeping in contact with colleagues and peers in this wonderful calling we share.

    That’s to say nothing of the other things which occupy a pastor’s time. We must make hospital, pastoral, evangelistic, and courtesy visits with members of our Church and community. There are gatherings and programs at our local schools or other civic opportunities. These opportunities come our way and we need to participate. Our little town has a big shindig the Sunday before Halloween. Members of our Church will participate in the programming provided and I will spend time circulating. 

    It would be great if the challenges of ministry were spaced out. It would be awesome if the different aspects of the work came to us in bite-sized homogenous pieces allowing us to give our undivided attention to one thing at a time. Alas, the world is not like that.  

    This brings us back to one of my favorite subjects. Plan ahead. Give yourself time. You don’t know what interruptions may come your way or how long they will take. Track your work and know where you are going so that you can easily pick back up your train of thought or get back into the flow when you return to your study. Learn and cultivate efficient methods to do the unimportant things you and I need to do. Make time for what is most important. 

    One of the unforeseen outcomes of the otherwise dreadful pandemic is that each of us has had the opportunity to reevaluate how we deal with “emergencies”. There were some situations in which I used to drop everything I was doing, rushing off like some kind of a spiritual first responder. The pandemic has weaned me from the need to be essential. There are still emergencies that require immediate response, but not so many as I once thought. The days of me scheduling myself to be present for someone’s surgery—like I was performing the procedure are done, in all but the most extreme cases. 

    We learn to discern and confirm our call to ministry as a matter of giftedness and then, allow other things to crowd our time. We study scripture and realize that our central calling is to pray, preach, and teach and then spend a disproportionate amount of time not doing the very thing we are called and gifted to do. This is not reasonable, profitable, or sustainable. The most important thing you will do today is study scripture and pray. Ministry tends to happen all at once and keeping in focus means doing first and best what we are called to do.