Appreciation

October is pastor appreciation month.  Did you know that?  You might not if you don't operate within the evangelical church world or listen to christian broadcasting of some kind.  Even then, you might miss it.

It seems a little awkward for pastors.  It’s awkward because while we expect and trust that pastors serve out of a sense of divine and selfless calling, it’s humanly nice to be appreciated by others.  They are likely (and politely so) not going to remind you of the occasion themselves.  

Well, some might… but that’s another topic.

I have a tremendous amount of appreciation for my own pastor! 

I hope he knows that.  I try to remember to tell him personally.  I pray for him and the others of my church often, and every time they come to mind unexpectedly.  As I have done so, I have discovered a shift in the nature of my appreciation.  So should you… if your appreciation is seated in anything other than your personal witness of your pastor following closely to Jesus and being led by the Holy Spirit.  

It’s easy to rest our appreciation of them in how their role has served us personally instead of them serving a Holy God.  Is it not true that our appreciations most likely begin with how they pastor in ways that directly impact us personally?  In how they meet our needs; If, how, or when they speak to us; how we perceive their teaching?  If it ends there, our appreciation is rather shallow and perhaps reflective of our own superficiality and carnality.  

This is not to say those elements are unimportant.  They are.  In fact, I would argue they are a base level of pastoral ministry in the local church.  But, if our observation and appreciation ends there, we are short sighted and neglect the exploration of how God himself is working. What a shame.

I am more appreciative and aware of how God is using my pastor, and as a byproduct, the staff and church body themselves, than ever before.  I can only conclude it is because of the adjusted heart within me and opened eyes with which God has given me to see the layers of His work in our context more clearly… the layers of God’s work, that is.  I am overwhelmed - truly overwhelmed by what I’ve seen and experienced.

Being overwhelmed by the layers of God’s movement allows us to appreciate the vessels of His work more accurately.  It’s not unlike being overwhelmed when the Lord uses us in our day-to-day function as ambassadors of His name and purposes - a desire for his flock that any pastor worth his calling also holds.  When it happens to us personally in our own lives, we recognize firsthand that the true magnificence is that God would opt to use any of us at all.

Today is the last day of official “Pastor Appreciation Month”.  Don’t forget to appreciate your pastor, and pray for God to move through his calling… and yours.