Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “True Greatness”
Our Bible verse for today: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Great men and woman of God set a good example for others to follow.”
This morning I want to share with you a very personal story about “True Greatness” that has had a significant impact in my life. The story is about a man who I have only actually met once – and even then only for a few brief moments. But the example he has set through his life and ministry has had a profound impact on my life and on my ministry.
His name is Eugene Peterson. Some of you will recognize him as being the author of the popular paraphrase of the Bible, “The Message”. Eugene is also a prolific author of many Christian books and therefore you may have also read some of his other writing. But in addition to being an accomplished author and a popular conference speaker, Eugene spent his entire career in ministry as the pastor of a small church in Maryland.
Many of Eugene’s books were written to, and for, and about, Pastors, and they were all based on what God had first worked out in his own life and ministry. I’ve read most of them and Eugene’s example has had a profound impact on my life and ministry in a number of important ways. This morning I only have time and space to tell you about one of them.
Once he became famous for his writings, Eugene received many offers to become the pastor of other, much larger churches. But he always declined those offers and he chose instead to stay at the same little church in Maryland for twenty-nine years.
Eugene is a quiet and thoughtful man who considers himself to be what he terms, “A Contemplative Pastor”. He even developed a credo for “The Contemplative Pastor”, which I have since adopted as my own. It goes like this:
“*The Contemplative Pastor can be with people without having an agenda for them.
*The Contemplative Pastor is able to accept people just as they are. He guides them gently and patiently into a mature life in Christ.
*The Contemplative Pastor is resolved to lovingly shepherd his flock through all the circumstances of life, the challenges and trials, the joys and triumphs, the good times and the bad.
*The Contemplative Pastor resists the competitive nature of the American church culture and does not get caught up in the latest church growth fads.
*The Contemplative Pastor is in it for the long haul.”
The mindset Eugene articulated in that credo changed my thinking about my own ministry as a Pastor and has resulted in a sense of peace and contentment that I have never experienced before in any ministry setting. God put the example of Eugene Peterson in my life at exactly the right time, and it has made all the difference for me.
This is the kind of thing the Apostle Paul was writing about in 1 Corinthians 11:1. God had brought Paul through a lot of changes in his own life. As a result, in his later years, Paul was prepared to be an example for others to follow. What God had worked out in Paul’s own life, Paul was now prepared to help others work out in their lives.
Great men and women of God set a good example for others to follow. I encourage you to find examples like that for you to follow yourself, and then I encourage you to be that kind of example for others to follow.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 