You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. Isaiah 61:6
When you have been in ministry forty-four years, you have preached a lot of sermons, taught a lot of lessons and given a lot of talks. Lots! Someone asked me recently how long I had been teaching. I replied “I have been teaching for 160+ years: 40+ years at 4 teachings a weekend.” That is a lot of teaching.
Truth is, I have forgotten more of my teachings than I can remember.
I was also asked in that same conversation to choose which teaching series I had done over the years that was the most memorable to me. That was an easy choice.
About ten years ago, I put together a teaching series called “Sent.” This was the big idea and the flow of the four week series.
If you are a Christ follower, you are sent.
You are a pastor, a priest, a minister and a missionary.
You are called and gifted by God.
Find your parish and get to it.
For way too long, we pastors, priests and ministers have put a false distinction between those of us in the pulpit and those of us in the pews. This “us and them” mentality is killing the American church. We view some as clergy and some as laity. Some as called and some as not called. Some responsible to share the good news and some not responsible at all.
How did we get that from scripture?
The New Testament clearly teaches we are all called to ministry, all gifted, all on mission. We are all Sent.
So it’s time to find your parish and get to it.
Here are two of the people in my life that have found their unique parish and are getting to it.
My wife, Mary, was sexually abused as a child. That awful experience has left her with a continual battle with depression and self-esteem. She could easily have simply labeled herself as a “victim” and spent her life wrapped up in her hurt. She has chosen instead to allow God to use it to give her a ministry to women who have been abused and women who struggle with depression. She has found her parish!
My friend Mark is a cowboy. He loves farms and horses. He wears his boots and his Cowboy hat all day long every day. I am not sure, but he may sleep in his boots and hat. Mark was in the congregation during the Sent series. And he decided to go for it. He and his wife started teaching horse riding lessons to physically challenged children. Soon he started a Bible study in his barn each week. Now he pastors Bent Knee Cowboy Church. He has found his parish.
In our current “us and them” thinking, that some are pastors and some are pew sitters, we would see what Mark does as ministry (since he now pastors a church) and what Mary does as something less (since she is not a pastor). I would argue both are pastors! Both are ministers! Both are on mission! Both have found their parish and are loving their people.
Your parish may be your home.
Your parish may be your neighborhood.
Your parish may be your workplace.
Your parish may be where you play.
Your parish can be all of the above if you decide that you are called and sent!
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9
If you are a Christ follower:
You are chosen
You are a priest
You are holy
You are God’s special possession
You are called to declare Jesus to the world