Water Walkers

Earlier this week I chatted with a colleague in ministry who conceded that while the Older Testament stories of the summer lectionary readings are intriguing she is sticking with the rich passages of the gospels because they are a bit more in her comfort zone as someone relatively new to preaching. I certainly appreciate this. I have chosen the stories of Jacob, Joseph, and Moses because after years of preaching the lectionary it is stimulating to go off what is a well-worn path for me.

Still, I have thought about the gospel story this week which tells us of Jesus walking on water and Peter's "sinking feeling" when stepping out of the boat doesn't turn out the way he hoped. The 19th century artist Gustave Dore is currently featured in an exhibit at Canada's National Art Gallery and this is one of his images.

There is a book called The Walk-On-Water Syndrome: Dealing With Professional Hazards in the Ministry by Edwin Bratcher which I purchased 30 years ago when still a young, brash, and relatively new-to-ministry pastor. It was helpful then as I began to realize that no matter how much energy and time I put into my vocation it would never be enough. Over the decades I have served active congregations and I have enjoyed the work of developing their mission and ministries. I had to learn that there would always be more to do than I could possibly accomplish,  and there would always be people who expected the impossible.

In his book Bratcher encourages establishing a realistic perspective in ministry, acknowledging our human limitations, and resisting the temptation to "walk on water." We serve Jesus but we must remember that we are not small or capital letter saviours.

Now in my 35th year of ministry I have come to realize that neither my energy level nor my resilience are what they once were. I tend to thud more than I bounce! I'm hoping that what I can bring to ministry is experience and perspective. I am still passionate about serving in Christ's name, but I realize that being a "non-anxious presence" in the lives of others requires the faith not to have a saviour complex. Establishing personal balance is a virtue, not a sin. Living and ministering with this balance is even more important in the tumultuous times we find ourselves in as mainline congregations.

Any thoughts or comments on this?