Wonderings--November 15

 When I signed up for  Dr. Craig Barnes class on "Pastoral Arts," I did not know what I was expecting or anticipating. I mean seriously, what are "Pastoral Arts?!?" 

Well, as I learned on that first day of class, "Pastoral Arts" relate to planning of funerals, baptisms, the Lord's Supper, and other services of the church calendar that new ministers do not always know how to write. This was a lab-like class for preachers. The class was a blessing to me. 

Part of Craig's teaching style was to assign a number of theological texts and resource books along with one novel to the class. He felt these novels helped support the material he was offering in the lectures.

When Craig was still teaching at Pittsburgh Seminary, I would check in every year and see what new novel he was reading and then try and read it myself. Most times the novel was, shall we say. . .  unremarkable. I still can't make it though The Secret Life of Bees--but I hear it is very good. 

But the year that I initially enrolled in Pastoral Arts, the novel that I was given was wonderful. The book was titled, Gilead.

This is the factitious story of Rev. John Ames. He was a Presbyterian pastor who wrote a journal to his son. In the book we learn that John is dying and these are the final words that he offers to his son as a way to help the boy remember his father. There are a lot of passages that speak to my soul, but the one for today that I want to share is this: 

"This morning you came to me with a picture you had made that you wanted me admire. I was just at the end of a magazine article, justing finishing the last paragraph, so I didn't look up right away. Your mother said, in the kindest, saddest voice, "Ho doesn't hear you." Not "He didn't" but "He doesn't." " 

I don't think that John Ames is the only person who 'doesn't' hear when someone we care about is talking with us.

I wonder what might happen to us if we found ways in our days to move away from "doesn't hear" to toward a gentle posture of listening and presence that John Ames' wife was speaking about in the above quotation? 

Jesus always had time for the needy in his community but he also had plenty of time for the folks who pushed his buttons and argued with him. Yet our Savior never became wrathful or impatient. . . He never lashed out against an individual (sure he was upset when he drove the money changers out of the Temple, but he did not lay a finger on them). Instead he made time to listen and be with everyone. 

Perhaps today God will put someone in your life that would benefit from a posture of listening and patience? 

Blessings

Rev. Derek