All But Six Hours A Week

I am spending three days this week in St. Cloud, where all Minnesota United Methodist clergy have gathered for what is called a “Gateway Retreat.” Several years ago our Conference received a significant grant from the Lilly Foundation to assist in clergy professional development. The outcome of that grant has been “Gateway groups,” which originally were populated based upon church size. The Conference was recently awarded a second grant (half the size of the first, but still a substantial amount of money), and Gateways is taking a new look. Individual clergy can decide which group they want to be a part of, so for these days we are meeting one another, writing a covenant and making plans for further growth and God’s servants together.

Yesterday our Bishop spoke to us, using Jonah as a model, and described her understanding of pastoral excellence. She is a very gifted communicator, and I always walk away from her preaching moments feeling refreshed and inspired. Among the many nuggets of truth I received yesterday, the one that I am most enthused with is this one.

She began by saying, “All but six hours a week.” (And I may be paraphrasing at this point). “I have loved ministry, and I want others to love ministry, too. I want you to find joy in what you do as you respond to God’s call upon your life. And I can honestly say, that with the exception of about six hours a week, I have loved every minute of what I do.”

I think she has well characterized the pastoral life, and perhaps, for that matter, the life that most every person who is working lives. Most of us long for a career path that is personally fulfilling, makes a difference in the world, and leaves behind a legacy. We want what we do to have mattered. I suppose that those idealistic visions are even more paramount in the lives of clergy, who hear a call from outside of themselves (and from within, too) to serve God while serving with God’s people. The down side, of course, is that we clergy probably have earned our reputation as “pie in the sky” kinds of people, with all kinds of dreams and idealism and less ability to produce “results” (whatever that really means in the context of congregational life or even in the broader world God has created).

But in any case, my heart reverberates with what Bishop Sally had to say, because I, too, can affirm that with the exception of about six hours a week, I really love what I do. I am blessed beyond measure to be able to do what God has called and equipped me to do. I have the opportunity not many spouses and parents have … to have family members witness on a regular, at-least-weekly basis, what I am able to do best. Very few other vocations allow that opportunity.

So this morning I am feeling a renewed sense of gratitude for the work God calls me to do. I am more aware than ever of my frailties and the humanity which calls me to lean even more faithfully upon my Creator, but I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life.