To the Chutzpa of Pastors

This was posted on facebook by a friend of mine, and I think that it rings true for all of us pastors out there! Enjoy it...

To the chutzpa of pastors.

The courage, week after week, to declare the gracious reality of God with words that fall short every time,

the courage to stand with conviction, offering an alternative worldview of Shalom to the dominant culture of competitive, often violent ways of relating,

the courage to enter, upon invitation, into the private places of a person's life and be there with presence, faith and sometimes sight,

the courage to call for surrender to the Christ Spirit that takes us often where we do not wish to go,

the courage to be a flawed leader of an imperfect institution that frequently contradicts the compassion it espouses,

and the courage to bear the symbols of God, even be a symbol of God, at the perilous risk of playing God.


--Dedication of Anam Cara: Collegial Clergy Communities by Mahan Siler