May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
“The Christian leader, minister or priest, is not one who reveals God to the people — who gives something to those who have nothing — but one who helps those who are searching to discover reality as the source of their existence…
In this context, pastoral conversation is not merely a skillful use of conversational techniques to manipulate people into the Kingdom of God, but a deep human encounter in which people are willing to put their own faith and doubt, their own hope and despair, their own light and darkness at the disposal of others who want to find a way through their confusion and touch the solid core of life.
In this context, preaching means more than handing over a tradition; it is, rather, the careful and sensitive articulation of what is happening in the community so that those who listen can say: “You say what I only suspected, you clearly express what I vaguely felt, you bring to the fore what I fearfully kept in the back of my mind. Yes, yes — you say who we are, you recognize our condition.”
When someone who listens is able to say this, then the ground is broken for others to receive the Word of God. And no minister need doubt that the Word will be received! The young especially do not have to run away from their fears and hopes but can see themselves in the face of the one who leads them; the minister will make them understand the words of salvation which in the past often sounded to them like words from a strange and unfamiliar world…
So the first and most basic task of contemporary Christian leaders is to lead people out of the land of confusion into the land of hope.”
Henri Nouwen in The Wounded Healer: Ministry in a Contemporary Society (New York: Image, 1972) 43-44.
This is a great book.
It sketches counsel for doing ministry in a dislocated world to rootless generations bereft of hope. And it acknowledges the wounds and loneliness of the minister.
I found the PDF if you want it.
Today’s post reminds us as Christian workers that our giving may not be just material, but also deeply spiritual. We get to articulate what is happening in a manner that brings hope.
This is easier said than done.
To lead people from confusion to hope, we must make the journey first ourselves. This is where I find myself. Trusting God at deeper levels helps me overflow with hope. Join me on this way.