In it for the Long Haul

“If I say, ‘I will not mention God’s word, or speak anymore in God’s name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jer. 20:9).

Every year at Annual Conference (a gathering of United Methodist clergy and lay leaders) we honor those pastors who are retiring.  I am always amazed at the number of retirees who have served 40+ years in active ministry.  That’s 50% longer than my lifetime (to date)!  In a day and age where the average person changes careers three times, it’s remarkable to recognize those who have stuck with something for four decades.

If our ministry is a race, then God is calling us to be
the tortoise, not the hare.

Jeremiah’s ministry as a prophet also lasted forty years (627-587 BC).  He first began speaking God’s Word as a young teenager.  Over the next forty years he would continue to speak God’s Word through some of the most tumultuous and challenging days in the history of Israel.  In Jeremiah’s lifetime he witnessed the demise and fall of the holy city of Jerusalem – a demise rooted in the reckless faithlessness of the people of God.

Imagine how difficult it was for Jeremiah to stick to it – to get up every morning with a willingness to be faithful to God’s message, even though it seemed few were willing to listen.  How did he do it?  How did Jeremiah make it forty years in such a difficult vocation?

The answer is that Jeremiah was deeply connected to God.  Hardly a page goes by in the book of Jeremiah where we don’t find the prophet on his knees in prayer, asking God to clarify his purpose, free him from suffering, give him strength to carry on.  Jeremiah’s heart was so passionately devoted to God’s purpose for him, that he found he couldn't quit.  There was a fire in his bones.

As we begin our fourth year together in min

istry at Faith UMC, I am reminded that we have just begun.  God has called us to be in ministry with our community and world.  It is a calling that includes welcoming all people to worship God with passion, grow deeply in Christian faith, and serve Christ in community.  And while God has begun some good work among us in these past years, we have barely started on the journey God has for us.  We have not been called to a short-term ministry, but to a lifetime of ministry.  And what we learn from Jeremiah is that if we want our ministry to last a lifetime, then we must be deeply and passionately connected to God.

Do you have the kind of faith that gets you out of the bed in the morning ready to serve Christ?  Are you passionately devoted to God’s Word, seeking to know and live out the scriptures?  Do you regularly connect with God through prayer and worship?  Does your connection to Christ enable you to be in ministry for the long haul?