Lingering Lenten Yearnings

After getting 2' of snow in less than 2 weeks, the temps have changed and the white stuff is melting. Maybe the dirty, blackened snow piles are a better reminder of Lent for a Lutheran (sinner) that the fresh, white drifts (saint) sitting atop our roof. But Lent also refers to the "lengthening" of days and the modern delusion of "daylight savings time" reinforces that reality and encourages the yearnings for Spring to arrive. Time will tell whether the traditional Yooper talk about a St. Paddy's day storm will come true this year - it is the Upper Peninsula's alternative to Ground Hog Day. Since we are headed for Mpls area this Saturday, I hope it is just that - talk.

We continue to yearn for a new pastor. Why would not someone want to serve a 750 member congregation with a $400K budget and a $300K endowment fund plus a full time staff of 3 and a part-time staff of 5? Any takers out there? The ELCA call process is seriously flawed - money and a troop surge won't fix it. Is it because, as pastors, we are now "professional leaders?", with priorities having to do with vocational options for spouses, equity allowances and opportunities for sabbaticals? Sure, my assessment is biased because I'm retired. Yet I don't yearn for the "good ol' days" - the fields are ripe for harvest, but where are the laborers in the vineyard? Maybe the challenge is not so much "clergy burnout" but clergy who aren't on fire to begin with.

Meanwhile, I listen to my "working" clergy brothers and sisters as they deal with tragic car accidents leaving children without mothers, their serious endeavors to feed their flock not only on Sundays, but also Wednesday nights, and their willingness to laugh in the face of those who expect them to serve 24/7. Thank the Lord for coffee and conversation going together.
Like the prodigal son, I'm thankful for knowing a Father to whom I can return after spending time not in a far off country, but on a couch watching basketball games or the latest episode of "24"