Tom Ehrich began writing daily "On a Journey" meditations in 1993, after a
handful of friends worldwide had formed an online community seeking God in daily
life. He is a priest and journalist for a nationally syndicated column that goes
to more than 100 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.
Tom Ehrich's idea is that God can be glimpsed in everyday life. In pieces of
about 475 words, published six days a week, Tom looks at small incidents of
daily life, connects them to the coming Sunday's Bible readings and seeks meanings that will touch every reader's
life. Tom has given us permission to post something weekly from him on our web
site. A person can subscribe to online daily meditations for $24/year.
Jesus said, "I tell you, you are Peter, and on this
rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in
heaven." (Matthew 16.18-19)
I carried a newspaper onto the subway last night but was
too tired to read it. I reached home too tired to do more than check in.
A day that started with writing at 4:00am and a 7:00am development breakfast
ended at 7:00pm with premarital counseling. I don't think I was at peak
effectiveness for any of these tasks.
This isn't a plea for sympathy. Nor do I need counsel about getting more sleep.
Rather, I share this with you because I believe this is the reality of ministry,
as it is the reality of parenting, partnering, teaching, doctoring, and any job
worth doing.
We give, and then we give more. We give it all, and then we dig deeper. The
2:00am feeding, late-night reassurances and worried waiting are what it takes to
be a parent. Listening and supporting through the fog of fatigue and distraction
are what it takes to love another person. The effective manager doesn't issue
orders from Olympus, but does what Jesus did: walks about, nurturing, listening,
understanding.
I disagree with the words that the early-church author of Matthew placed in the
mouth of Jesus about Simon becoming a "rock" and earning the right to rule. I
understand that such Olympian sturdiness and power are what early Christian
institution-builders wanted. But that isn't how Jesus lived, it isn't how Peter
himself lived despite this brief diversion onto the throne, and it isn't what
the Christian enterprise is about.
Jesus sent disciples out to serve -- they were "apostles," not nest-builders --
and that meant being present to people and responding to their needs. In any
job, our call is to show up for work, to encounter people and ambiguity, and to
risk fatigue by "staying late."
Instead of shunning depletion and fatigue, we should do what Jesus did: learn to
pray, learn to seek God's sustaining strength. Instead of craving the serenity
of quiet places where the world cannot intrude, we should do what Jesus did:
wade into the throngs, endure the noise, give it all away. Instead of seeing
ourselves as "rocks" and rulers, we should do what Jesus did: be servants, avoid
judging, give mercy.
The kingdom of heaven isn't a locked room requiring keys. It is the marketplace,
where servants serve, ministers give, parents and partners dig deep, leaders
lead by example, and the covenant we make isn't pursuit of perfection or safety,
but a promise to be there when times get tough.
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