Introspection: Step Up

I share these thoughts, hoping they are of help to someone else.


Step Up

Scripture:

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-17

There is none righteous
There is none worthy
There is none Holy but You the King
I will give my life to sing of Your wonder
To shout of Your glory so creation will hear God
We want the world to hear

From "We Want the World to Hear" by Big Daddy Weave

I have heard at least a couple of people at my church expressing hesitation about speaking from the pastor's pulpit, even if they are only reading Scripture, leading songs, or making announcements. One person even lobbied for a separate podium for those reading the Scripture on Sunday mornings. They say that they do not want to speak at the pulpit because they do not feel "qualified" to do so.

Part of me wonders if the hesitation these members feel, in reality, has nothing to do with their feelings of being unqualified but instead stems from feelings of not being worthy. Perhaps, knowing their shortcomings, they feel that God would be unhappy with them being in such a position at their church. I have not said anything to them about this, but if I were to say something, I would tell them is that if God is not unhappy with me for filling in for our pastor or for teaching Sunday School, then they are probably safe reading scripture from the pulpit. Like St. Paul, I sometimes consider myself chief among sinners¹ - at least in comparison to the people I associate with.

If they are indeed experiencing feelings of unworthiness, they are not alone. Sometimes I look at my own life - my behavior and my attitude - and feel as though I am the last person who should be doing the things that I do. I too find myself feeling unworthy, and I know that I have good reason to feel this way. This is why I take so much comfort in knowing that God has used a lot of unworthy people throughout history.² The truth is that God's purposes for us have nothing to do with our worthiness but everything to do with His grace. If we had to be worthy of His grace, then it wouldn't be grace.

So what would make a minister more worthy to speak from a pulpit than anyone else? I think that people tend to treat ministers unfairly in at least two ways. First, I think that there is a tendency to put pastors on a pedestal. People think that just because someone is a pastor, then he or she must be a better person than most people. This is not true: pastors are normal people, meaning that they are far from perfect. They have the same struggles and shortcomings as other people.

Second, I think that there is also a tendency to for people to hold ministers to a higher standard than they hold other people. This is a problem, not because they expect too much from ministers, but because they do not expect the same things from themselves. This is one reason that I decided years ago not to go into the ministry: I did not want to hold myself to such a high standard. Since then, I have realized that, as a Christian, whether I am a minister or a layperson, my purpose is to serve Christ and to represent Him in the world.

Christ, in His Sermon on the Mount, calls us to be like salt and light in the world. Both salt and light are things that make an evident difference in the environment around them. If food has been salted, one can taste the difference. If one turns on a light, the added illumination makes a major difference to the room's appearance. In the same way, we are called, not to blend into our environment, but to be an evident difference in the world around us.

As I have written before, we are not all called to be ministers in the sense that we lead churches, but we are all called to be in ministry to the world, doing Christ's work, being Christ's hands and feet. If you think that you are unworthy of such a calling, you are probably right,³ but remember that your calling has nothing to do with your own worthiness but everything to do with God's grace. Do not be afraid to step up and do what you are called to do, whether it be at the pulpit or elsewhere.


Notes:
1 - 1 Timothy 1:15
2 - Some of my favorites from the Bible are Elijah, who once asked God to kill him; Jonah, who hated the people to whom he preached; and Paul, who once had Christians put to death.
3 - And if you think that you are worthy, you are probably fooling yourself.


If you have any feedback, thoughts, stories, or even arguments to contribute, please leave comments.