Life of theWorld Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne January 2008, Volume Twelve, Number One Fo r th e Pastoral Fitness under the Cross Rev. Dr Albert B. Collver Fit for Ministry Rev. Dr. Harold L. Senkbeil Devotional Diligence Rev. Kerry David Reese For The LIFE of the World F E A T U R E S PRESIDENT Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe PUBLISHER EDITOR Rev. Steven Cholak Rev. John Pless COPY EDITOR ART DIRECTOR Trudy Behning Steve Blakey EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Rev. James Bushur Dr. Charles Gieschen Dr. Naomichi Masaki For the Life of theWorld is published quarterly by Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 6600 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher of For the Life of the World. Copyright 2008. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Huntington, Indiana. For the Life of the World is mailed to all pastors and congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the United States and Canada and to anyone interested in the work of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. CONTENTS 4 Pastoral Fitness under the Cross by Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver There is no greater temptation than to doubt the promises of Jesus; likewise, there is no way to survive the cross than to cling to the promises of Jesus. In fact, the pastor in crisis chases after Jesus and captures Him in the promises He gave him as a Christian in Holy Baptism and as a pastor in Holy Ordination. Jesus loves to be captured in His promises. 14 Fit for Ministry by Rev. Dr. Harold L. Senkbeil Martin Luther’s paradigm for making theologians isn’t a bad model for spiritual fitness among pastors (and other Christians too): Prayer, Meditation, and Affliction (spiritual struggle). Besides vital spiritual self-care, pastors need shepherding too. Just as barbers need barbers or physicians need physicians, pastors need pastors. 22 Devotional Diligence by Rev. Kerry David Reese Ranking at or near the top of a list of occupational hazards for ministers of the Gospel is succumbing to the tendency to treat Scriptures as an academic tool while neglecting its devotional use for the pastor’s spiritual strength and well- being. Being “in the Word” includes more than our hands-on approach for preparing cogent sermons and Bible classes. 25 The Passive Pastor by Rev. John T. Pless Pastoral fitness begins with pastoral passivity. We hear much about pastors “burning out” under increased demands often coupled with confusion over what it is that pastors are to do. Are pastors mainly counselors, managers, public relations experts, or community organizers? For your free subscription, please send yourname, address, city, state, and zip code to:For the Life of the World, 6600 N. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, IN 46825. If you would like to see For the Life of the World on the World Wide Web, go to web site: www.LifeOfTheWorld.com. The current issue, as well as previous issues, can be found at this interactive portal. For the Life of theWorld How to subscribe to and find . . . For the Life of theWorld 2 Volume Twelve, Number One Co ve r Ph o to : R ic h Ab ra ha m so n o ft he Fo rt Co llin s Co lo ra do a n (E a st e r Vi gi l, 20 07 : Pe a ce W ith Ch ris tL u th e ra n Ch u rc h, Fo rt Co llin s, CO ) 22 For the Life of the World Conversations can be formative for directing one towardpaths leading to genuine pastoral growth and renewal.I was fortunate enough to have had one of the more helpful of those chats while serving on vicarage in upstate New York. During evening banter in the living room of a delightful couple who had invited my wife and me to dinner, ‘Jim’ steered the course of our musings to the topic of hermeneutics—or so I thought. I was a bit too naïve at the time to realize the man had a deeper point in mind (he had seen some twenty vicars come and go before me) when he inquired, “How do you go about preparing for a sermon?” Devotional Diligence Relentless rigors of parish duties make for a perfect storm that can send (pastors) adrift on mounting waves of stress and confusion. JANUARY 2008 23 ‘Jim’ listened patiently for some twenty minutes as I dug the hole for my personal burial deeper and deeper with every shovel full of verbiage I threw into the air about the dozen or so steps of exegesis- leading-to-oration I had diligently learned at seminary. I must have sounded as meticulous in the workings of sermon-craft as a chemist might go about his laboratory labors. Fortunately [no ‘sic’-ness here] for me, ‘Jim’ had a keen flare for the dramatic, knowing his point was being made more memorable the longer he waited to hit me with the punch line. The blow finally landed after the pregnant pause that followed my oral dissertation, but for that moment of awkward silence and catching a glance at ‘Jim’s’ stoic demeanor I shockingly realized I must have left some vital element out of the equation for sermon production, but what? After commending me for my thorough academic grasp of the subject of biblical preaching, my host erupted with the penetrating reason for his questioning. “What about prayer?” he quizzed. “When does prayer enter into the process of your sermon preparation? I would have thought it to be one of the first things you would do as you set upon your task.” ‘Jim’ will forgive me for approximating his exact words in that last line of quotation, but he will be pleased to know that I have never forgotten his pungent point. He continued to give me some of the finest spiritual advice I have ever had the privilege to receive and employ in the course of doing the faithful work of a pastor in Christ’s Church. I am happy to pass along what I received in what remains of this article. Ranking at or near the top of a list of occupational hazards for ministers of the Gospel is succumbing to the tendency to treat Scriptures as an academic tool while neglecting its devotional use for the pastor’s spiritual strength and well-being. Being “in the Word” includes more than our hands-on approach for preparing cogent sermons and Bible classes. Certainly those important tasks require due diligence in studying and coming to understand God’s Word if Ranking at or near the top of a list of occupational hazards for ministers of the Gospel is succumbing to the tendency to treat Scriptures as an academic tool while neglecting its devotional use for the pastor’s spiritual strength and well-being. Being “in the Word” includes more than our hands-on approach for preparing cogent sermons and Bible classes. Devotional Diligence By The Rev. Kerry David Reese 18 For the Life of the World24 one is to proclaim and teach hearers properly and faithfully. Nevertheless, when the pastor neglects his need for having God touch him personally through his own reading and reflecting on Scriptures in daily devotions, his heart may grow cold toward his work even though he mouths the correct formulations of faith and doctrine. Pastors who do not take time out of each day for reading the Scriptures for their own sake without pretext or agenda risk becoming mired in despair as they lose their sense of joy in serving the Lord despite bringing the Gospel to others. Relentless rigors of parish duties make for a perfect storm that can send them adrift on mounting waves of stress and confusion. We know this to be true—intellectually, at least. As our Lord Jesus took many occasions to separate Himself from the crowds for prayer, so we who carry on our pastoral work in His stead and by His command do well to go and do likewise. More than that, working as means of grace, God’s Word acts as the food which nourishes us from within, so that we have more to give the people we serve in Christ’s name. I wish I could say that I immediately took ‘Jim’s’ words to heart and applied them without fail throughout the course of ministry. Alas, I was not so smart as that. Like many other servants, for a time I allowed my devotional reading to lapse while buying into the myth that all of my other handling of Scriptures in the ways already related were enough to maintain the joy and spiritual perspective we otherwise require. Wrong. Sometimes conversations are insufficient means to drive a point home; when words fail or fade, experiences of stress can teach the lesson again how urgently we need to hear the still small voice of the Lord in Scriptures. Learn well. Pastoral wellness is served by devotional diligence. We can thank all the ‘Jims’ we may meet for pointing this out. The Rev. Kerry David Reese is pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Snohomish (Maltby), Washington. Pastors who do not take time out of each day for reading the Scriptures for their own sake without pretext or agenda risk becoming mired in despair as they lose their sense of joy in serving the Lord despite bringing the Gospel to others.