October 7, 2007 – Confessions of a Pastor
Sometimes I feel Inadequate
Ministry has changed a lot in 35 years
Typewriters, IBM Selectrics, and bulletins printed on a Rex-Rotary mimeograph – think big metal rotating drum with lot’s of tiny holes filled with black sticky ink that you carefully covered with a waxy stencil so you could print up your programs. Got it? Now think – messy and dirty.
Artwork that was scratched into the stencils with a stylus and plastic backing plate
Correction fluid that could make you were floating if you used it in a room where there wasn’t good ventilation.
Handwritten sermons that were penned on 8 ½ x 14 pages folded in half. If I wanted to change the outline I had to rewrite from the beginning – so I didn’t change the outline around very much!
Recordings were done with 8 inch reel to reel tape recorders that were the size of a suitcase using a microphone that looked like the grill from your father’s Oldsmobile.
The office phones were connected to the one line that came into the building, had rotary dials and were also connected through a party line to my home phone.
Calling on folks in their homes by the preacher was expected. And when he came you invited him in gave him a cup of coffee and a cookie or two. If it was near supper time you pulled up an extra chair, set an extra place and he ate with the family.
The church had area men’s meeting where different ministers preached the men shared a potluck dinner prepared by the wives and then played a game of darts.
A lot of things have changed over the years.
One thing has never changed and never will…
Ministry is hard work
There is never enough time, way too many expectations, and far too many comparisons.
The longer I’m a pastor the more I confront the reality that I don’t know enough, I’m not good enough, and that I’ve made too many mistakes.
It’s easy to come to the conclusion that I’m in way over my head.
There are many days that I wonder how God could ever get any real lasting good out of a man like me.
But I am not the only one with feelings like this. Moses protested to God that he couldn’t communicate well. Gideon hid in a winepress. Saul hid among the suitcases and baggage from those who were to make him king. Solomon humbly prayed for wisdom because he recognized the enormity of the task. Peter, in anguish on the beach with Jesus couldn’t bring himself to say use the agape word. Saul cried out that he was the chief of all sinners.
It’s easy to say – “Who am I that God would ever use me for anything worthy of his kingdom?” And this sentiment is not only felt by pastors like me. We all struggle – when we’re feeling particularly honest – with that terrible burden of inadequacy when it comes to the holy things of God.
This is nothing new. Consider the case of a man named Isaiah.
Isaiah saw God
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
Isaiah saw God
3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the door posts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
Isaiah 6:1-4
Imagine what it was like for Isaiah to see God in all his glory, high and exalted with the train of his robe filling the temple and angels called seraphs with six wings. They were singing Holy, Holy, Holy with voices that rattled the doorways and filled the temple with smoke.
This is not your ordinary choir. This is the glory of God.
In Ezekiel 1 there is a description of the glory of God that is even more powerful. It describes an incredible vision:
4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn aboutd as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.
19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty,e like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
25 Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.
Ezekiel saw God
26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire,f and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.
27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.
Ezekiel saw God
28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Ezekiel 1:26-28
This wasn’t even the glory of God. It was the appearance – of the likeness – of the glory of God. It was two steps removed and it was still beyond comprehension, description, or comparison.
If you are like me and you feel as inadequate as I do to do anything that has any value to God as surprising as it sounds it starts with your vision of God.
If your vision of Jesus is that of a baby laying in a manger it’s easy to treat him as if he has no real significance or impact on the world we live in.
If your vision of Jesus is that of a good teacher it’s easy to lump him in with all the other good teachers and to set him aside as one of the many.
If your vision of Jesus is that of radical reformer it’s easy to dismiss his revolutionary ways as a well intentioned and foolish endeavor that ended with a crucifixion.
If your vision of Jesus is that he is the incarnation of the living God and that when you see him you see God’s glory – it changes everything.
When you see God’s glory it changes your vision of the world and your place in it. When you see God’s power it helps you to see beyond the war, the evil of men who steal, rape, and plunder the earth. When you see God’s glory – incarnate in Jesus it changes
Today I invite you to see Jesus! There is a hymn that says
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Have you seen Jesus yet?
If we could only have a glimpse of God
Watch this…
That’s My King
That’s my King: http://www.sermonspice.com/videos/114/thats-my-king/
That’s my King. This is the beginning of our calling to service. We first see the glory of God. We first look up – they we look down and we see our sin…
Isaiah Saw His Sin
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
Isaiah 6:5
When you see Jesus, the King, the Lord Almighty – you also see yourself and the contrast is clear. Here is glory and here is… me.
Woe is me. Sorry, I am. Or some of you might say, “I suck”
I am ruined. For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips. What ever I do, what ever I say, what ever I partake of – I am not worthy.
Now it’s at this point that I wonder – more than ever – how can I ever do anything, be anything that God can use for good.
Yet it is at this very place that something happens that is transforming…
Our greatest need
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:6
A burning coal – taken from the altar where sacrifice is made and sin is atoned for has touched his lips. The unclean lips are cleansed and made pure.
You’ve all seen the pyramid of Maslow’s Hirearchy: Man’s greatest need – self actualization. Maslow’s Hierarchy is built on the premise that man is innately good so that the ultimate need is to do what makes you feel good.
Physiological; safety-security; love-belonging; esteem; self-actualization. But this is the big lie. Man is innately sinful. In God’s hierarchy man’s greatest need is not self-actualization – it is redemption.
We need that live coal to be touched to our lips. We need to be made pure.
Jesus – the son of God, the incarnation of God’s Glory has died on a cross to make you pure. He is the live coal that touches your lips and purifies your life.
You adequacy comes not from what you do but from what Jesus has done to cleanse you and give you new life.
We come today to a very special time of communion. I have asked Esther to lead us in a worshipful song of grateful praise. During this song our communion servers will pass the trays. If you are a follower of Jesus I ask you to take the bread and the cup and hold them for a moment. After the song there will be a brief word given from scripture and you will be directed to take the bread and the cup together.
Communion
Song leading to communion
Communion Servers pass trays.
Elder led cup and bread
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of theb covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Isaiah Heard God’s Call
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:1-8
What is it that changed Isaiah? What caused him to become a devoted and dedicated man of God?
God did. The Almighty God purified Isaiah and prepared him to do his work on this earth.
God has always used broken people.
Moses murdered a man.
Abraham was a liar.
Jacob was a cheater.
Rahab was prostitute.
David committed adultery.
Peter was bipolar.
Mark was a coward.
Thomas lacked faith.
Paul murdered Christians.
Talented people are often the worst people to call upon for ministry and service to the King of kings. They often rely on themselves instead of God.
Isaiah was not a talented man – he was a broken man that God prepared for service.
He saw God
He saw himself
Then with God’s eyes he saw the people all around him and saw their need.
It was then there came a burning in his heart and a passion that set fire to his mind.
God doesn’t choose the prepared, He prepares the chosen.
The LORD said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."’ Exodus 4:11-12
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
You and I are the chosen people of God
The question is clear
What is God Calling us to do? As a church our vision for ministry is simply the task of "Helping People Find The Way Home"
After 15 years of serving the king in schools and theaters now we’re working on our own ministry center. God’s gracious hand is on us and we are ready to break ground. God is calling us to ministry as a church to this community.
Now one more question…What is God calling you to do?
