“That’s more easily said than done.”
Have you ever noticed how often Jesus changed the subject when talking with folks? He shifted from fishing fish to hooking humans. When told his family was looking for him, he redefined family. When criticized for accepting a worldly woman’s show of affection, he told a story of a debt-forgiving moneylender. When a lawyer asked about inheriting eternal life, he responded with a story about a generous Samaritan. Again and again, he turned conversations 90 or even 180 degrees from where they began.
One of the honors pastors enjoy and one of the dilemmas pastors face is the opportunity and challenge to change the subject. Like Jesus did.
Lord’s Day worship changes the subject. For that one hour, at least, persons otherwise driven by the rhythms of sowing and reaping, earning and spending, working and playing suddenly come to a stop. A time of contemplation and reflection “sabbatizes” their week. The pastor is allowed to ask questions like, “How is the state of your soul?” … “Have you been true?” … “Where is God active in your life?” … and “Where are you going from here?” At the same time pastors enjoy shifting the worshipers’ shame to forgiveness, their self-condemnation to divine grace. Sometimes pastors actually see frowns transform to smiles.
In so doing, worshipers grant their pastors the profound honor of a welcome into the deep wells in their lives.
Then again, pastors often find themselves trembling before the task. Like the prophets of old who were not honored in their own country, pastors know that provocative words produce murmurs and backbiting. And, they know that worshipers easily return to the transaction mentality by which they usually operate – “here comes the offering plate; time to pay the preacher – or maybe not.” Pastors’ prophetic courage often withers.
But pastors do need to change the subject, or rather, subjects.
Take, for example, the national health care debate. Politicians and pundits at every point on the political spectrum are stirring crowds to pitched argument over how those folks can maximize their medical care while minimizing their medical costs. Where are the prophets who — like Jesus speaking to the self-righteous, rich young man — are challenging those in the pews to “sell all you have and give it to the poor”?
No doubt, we can debate the varying programmatic ways to help the millions bankrupted by medical bills and the millions more, lacking another alternative, who are self-treating for disease and injury. But in the public debate, “What’s in it for me?” has muted “What’s in it for them?”
It’s time for the preaching prophets to change the subject.
A similar kind of conversation shift is needed in the matter of immigration. Surely, we need to protect our borders from terrorists, drug dealers, and other criminals. But can we imagine Jesus standing at the border looking at the huddled masses without raising the subject of doing to others what we would have done to us? He would change the subject.
And how about changing the subject from our own neighborhoods to places far away, like Darfur, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Haiti – where malnourishment is the rule, not the exception?
Our mentality of personal, ecclesiastical, and national protectionism needs to shift to mission-mindedness.
Many a pastor yearns to change the subject. But many hesitate to do so.
One reason we at the Outlook have joined with other organizations in urging believers to honor their pastors each October is because many a pastor (or commissioned lay pastor, or stated supply, etc.) could use a shot of encouragement and affirmation. Many a preacher needs to hear a few folks say, “You keep preaching like that!” or even, “I don’t like all you say in the pulpit, but you keep saying it anyway; I need to hear it!”
Pastors do enjoy the privilege and struggle with the challenge of changing the subject. This October, perhaps we all can change the subject — if only from griping to expressing gratitude.
— JHH
