Yesterday may have been a little grandiose in looking at our temptations. Today, still remembering the temptations that Jesus experienced as our template, let’s look at some of the more mundane ways in which we experience the pressures that threaten to compromise our ministry.
I recently read about a minister who was told by his governing board that they wanted him to keep his sermons to about 10 minutes, have good jokes, and focus on wise practical advise about life. We are continually being told that our modern generation has been shaped to have a short attention span. I admit that when I read sermons preached in the early 1900’s, they seem to me to be long, dry, and complex. I wonder how the congregation was able to follow them. Life’s context does shape our ministry, but when are we tempted to dilute the gospel into 3 rules to control your temper, or 5 lessons for maintaining a happy home.
It’s easy to be cynical about the pressure to not upset your biggest donors, but is it a bold display of faith to either throw yourself off the temple or ignore the feelings of major members in your church, and trust that God will save you in the end. Occasionally I’ve taken some strong stands but I also worked hard to be present to those who were offended. We can bewail the commercialization of religion but we also are called to minister in the society that treats faith as a product. How do we communicate with them.
What are the pressures and temptations that you face? You’ve written your story of your call. Now take a blank piece of paper and list ten pressures that you feel press against you living out your call in the way that you would most desire. Don’t make it overly dramatic, unless it is. Think of the small things that tend to pull you away from that which you think is most faithful to your call. Don’t think too much about it. Just write what comes to mind.
Tomorrow, we will pursue this and the strategies that help us survive some of the pressures.
