Accompanying persons in the middle

The pastor is the person who specializes in accompanying persons of faith “in the middle,” facing the ugly details, the meaningless routines, the mocking wickedness, and all the time doggedly insisting that this unaccountability unlovely middle is connected to the splendid beginning and a glorious ending …

These people, when served by such a pastor, steadily acquire confidence that they are included in God’s way and are able, therefore, to persevere meaningfully even when they cannot see the meaning.

– Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder

If we follow the call as the priesthood of believers – is this not also the call of all believers?

How do we respond?

“I was hungry and you fed me, 

I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, 

I was homeless and you gave me a room, 

I was shivering and you gave me clothes, 

I was sick and you stopped to visit, 

I was in prison and you came to me …

Whenever you did one of these things

to someone overlooked or ignored, 

that was me—you did it to me.”

What does this look like in our lives today? 

What does this look like in America today?

What does this look like in our world today?