Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. ~ James 3:1–2
How many times have I thought this to myself? “I shouldn’t be a pastor because I’m too prone to stumbling. How can I expect to properly teach God’s people?” Yet here we are, already a quarter of the way through my vicarage year. Over many years and through countless experiences, the Lord has been preparing me for this. He gave me the pastors I needed to ignite in me a love of serving God. He gave me trusted friends who encouraged me to begin on this path. He gave me the skills and knowledge I needed to get through the application process and the first two years of seminary education.
Now I’m here, putting it into practice with real people who come to me with real questions and real problems, and two things become more evident with every passing day. First, I (of myself) am incapable of doing this. I don’t have the answer to every question. I don’t have a solution to every problem. I get stressed sometimes and tired and frustrated, just like anyone else. Second, this is absolutely what I’m meant to do. I can say that with confidence on account of both internal and external evidence. Internally, I’m thrilled to go to work every day—spending hours in the Scriptures in order to teach and minister to our members. Externally, I’ve received genuine, positive feedback from parishioners and my supervising pastor which indicates God is indeed leading me in this.
That’s the mental/emotional/spiritual side of my vicarage thus far. Here are the nuts and bolts of what my role entails now that things are rolling along. In a typical month, I do the following: assist with a minimum of eight Divine Services; write and preach a minimum of two sermons (As a reminder, you can search and find recordings of my preaching on Our Redeemer’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theforgivenessplace.); prepare and teach a minimum of ten Bible studies; visit our homebound members at least twice; plan and lead a weekend youth activity; attend a minimum of two council/board meetings; attend a circuit pastors meeting; attend a Lutheran Confessions study group; do my best to handle whatever else comes my way.
Life isn’t any more relaxed on the home front. Caring for and educating four boys (while pregnant) is a full-time gig for Pamela. I’ve been assisting with homeschool a bit more this year than in the past, and we seem to have found a pretty good groove…most days anyway. In their free time, Logan and Camden enjoy playing with several other kids in the neighborhood, and Brighton and Lincoln are usually content to play in the toy room. We try to get out to a park once a week. We’ve found a few winners here already. Logan and Camden are in Trail Life again this year and will each have a turn playing basketball in a league organized by the local recreation center. Pamela sings in the church choir which is something she hasn’t been able to do for a few years. Within the last month, I attended the Iowa District East pastors’ conference and Pamela attended the district’s pastors’ wives’ retreat.
All in all, we’re very pleased with our placement here. Our Redeemer and Peace are wonderful for us. We’re thankful to have added these two congregations to our list of supporters. At the same time, we haven’t forgotten our other supporting congregations. We’re always delighted to receive messages from you, and we continue to pray for you all. We’ll never tire of saying thank you!
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