BACK AT THE COAL FACE

After years of teaching pastoral theology it’s been wonderful to return to its practice in local church ministry. It’s like being at the coal face as it were, the place where the action really happens, where theory is tested in practice.

In the first three weeks of this new ministry in the Wyndham Evangelical Church I’ve been eager to see if ideas on ministry and spirituality that have absorbed my mind in recent months do actually work in the day-to-day pastorate. And I’ve been thrilled to see that they do. I know that it’s very early days yet, but from day one it’s been evident that pastoral ministry can – and indeed, must – emerge out of personal spirituality.

Let me give an example – one that relates to the way in which one spends time in pastoral ministry. The beginning of my new ministry coincided with a fresh re-read of Mark’s Gospel first thing in my day. This time through the Gospel I determined to pay particular attention to the person of Jesus with a view to learning all I could about him and the way in which he lived. Almost immediately I encountered the verses which tell of how, after a busy evening healing people in Capernaum, Jesus rose “a great while before day” to meet with his Father (Mark 1:35. AV). Reflecting on this I was struck by the pattern it provided for ministry. By rising early, Jesus was able to spend “quality time” with God and still be accessible to people. And that, I knew, was going to be basic to the new ministry that I was embarking on. I needed unhurried and undisturbed time with God; but I also needed to be available to people. Rising very early was apparently the way Jesus meshed these two things. And it was the way that I could do it too.

In one sense this wasn’t something new. For nearly forty years I’ve begun each day with the Lord in a time of quiet reflection, Bible reading and prayer. But there was another sense it was. If I was to make this instance in Jesus’ life a pattern for my own ministry, I would not only continue to have my “Quiet Time” but concentrate on making the early morning hours the season of the day for spiritual renewal, inspiration and interaction. Refreshed and refurnished by these hours, I would be much more available to give myself to others as need arose.

Moving to a much colder southern climate provided an immediate challenge to this resolve!!! It’s easy to stay under the covers a while longer in the morning when it’s freezing cold outside and not so warm inside! Yet, providentially and most unexpectedly, God provided a help to establish a pattern of earlier waking and working. At five o’clock each morning transporters arrive with a noisy truck to replenish the stores of the Four Square shop immediately across the street from our bedroom. This is invariably accompanied by thuds, bangs and muted voices – enough to wake the soundest of sleepers. Rather than resent the intrusion, we’ve adjusted ourselves to work with it. While the early bird workmen are heaving boxes about my wife Nola and I are giving ourselves to worship, reading, prayer and thinking. It gives us a great start to the day and leaves us free to meet people when they call.

And call they do – it’s very much part of the small-town country lifestyle we find ourselves in. One morning I emerged from my study at 10:00 am to find a local resident sitting in our newly-acquired lounge suite talking to Nola. This needy soul had learned of our arrival and was eager to develop a friendship. The nearby Presbyterian minister called the next day and stayed for the afternoon renewing acquaintance, and the following morning Nola called out to our new neighbour across the fence and invited her in for a cup of tea. Quite a change from a highly structured life teaching in a theological college!

As ordinary as these events may be, they illustrate a principle gleaned from reflecting on the life of Jesus. My disciplined, focused nature has sometimes been agitated by interruption. Here the Lord was showing me a way of ensuring proper balance in ministry. Not only did early rising allow me to spend time with God and get my serious thinking work done, it set me free to meet whomever he sent across my path during the day. What is more, it allowed me to do this with a full heart and trusting spirit.

This is just one of the lessons we have learned in these early days back at the coal face. There have been others, and I’m sure, there will be many more to come. I hope to share them with you as they arise.