An acquaintance once told me how much he enjoys counseling in his service as a Pastor. I do some counseling (I prefer to call it pastoral care of the soul so that people understand I do not do the kind of therapy often assumed by the term counseling). But it is not a highlight of my service as Pastor. I enjoy teaching, but it, too, is not the center and high point of my service as Pastor. What I live for is what happens when the people of God come together around His Word and Table. The Sunday morning experience is what makes Mondays through Saturdays tolerable. I hope it is the same for the people in the pew.
Sunday is source and summit of our lives in Christ. It is the source of those lives in Christ as He comes to us through His Word and Sacrament. It is the summit to which our lives look (and return) at the end of the week. It is this weekly rhythm of source and summit that defines me as a baptized Christian and as an ordained Pastor.
Sunday afternoons find me tired -- the older I get the more I enjoy a little Sunday afternoon nap -- but it is a good tired. I have seen the majority of the flock under my care. I have shared with them the Word of life, recalled them to the water of life that gave them new birth through confession and absolution, and fed them the food of eternal life in the Eucharist. Two full sung services on Sunday separated by a Bible class and countless short conversations, appointments made, and greetings shared -- you bet I am tired on Sunday afternoons. But it is the best tired of the week. It prepares me for Monday and keeps me going through Saturday. And then the cycle begins anew.
I look forward to Sundays most of all... And I hope and pray that God's people in my care have the same perspective.
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