Queen for the Day
Hebrews 4:1-2
"Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness"
Reflection by Donna Schaper
It will come as no surprise that pastors and priests are sinners. You might want to think something else, as it is so spiritually convenient to have a spiritual surrogate. But your house will be built on sand.
I need not mention the Roman Catholic scandal regarding errant priests. Or that sermon I preached last week, which was simply inadequate to the hunger of my people. I don't need to bring up the old heresy that assures us, after much mistaken hyperbole, that the bread is good even if the giver is not. Better put, the bread does not depend on the giver being good. That is the sacramental heresy, changed by the ancient revision that assures us that the bread of life is still good even if the giver is not. You can just hear the sighs of relief underneath the collars.
It is amazing how often people project their hopes in the divine on their minister. To be a decent minister, it is crucial to avoid those projections. I only take them on one day a month. I call it Queen for the Day. On that day, I imagine I can help people manage their loneliness, their debt, and their boredom. I consent to their projections and brag about how many appointments I have. I act like I know more about God than they do. Sometimes I even offer advice, which is a sure sign that I have granted permission to the projections, sustained spiritual surrogacy, risked ridiculousness. On that day I complain especially about how busy I am, how in demand I am, how irreplaceable I am.
When the day is over, I have to go back to the truth. Even the highest priest had to face her maker, his God, their inadequacy to carry the spiritual weight that is only managed by shoulders that share it. I prefer the normal day to the special day, as do most Queens. It has more truth in it.
Prayer
O God, who made not one of us perfect, grant us the reach towards grace anyway. Give us that perfect humility that allows us to wake up each day and come towards you with strong shoulders. Give us shoulders that know the limits of what they can bear and wisely seek partners to make the load easy and the burden light. Teach us spiritual physics, not spiritual surrogacy. Amen.
Hebrews 4:1-2
"Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness"
Reflection by Donna Schaper
It will come as no surprise that pastors and priests are sinners. You might want to think something else, as it is so spiritually convenient to have a spiritual surrogate. But your house will be built on sand.
I need not mention the Roman Catholic scandal regarding errant priests. Or that sermon I preached last week, which was simply inadequate to the hunger of my people. I don't need to bring up the old heresy that assures us, after much mistaken hyperbole, that the bread is good even if the giver is not. Better put, the bread does not depend on the giver being good. That is the sacramental heresy, changed by the ancient revision that assures us that the bread of life is still good even if the giver is not. You can just hear the sighs of relief underneath the collars.
It is amazing how often people project their hopes in the divine on their minister. To be a decent minister, it is crucial to avoid those projections. I only take them on one day a month. I call it Queen for the Day. On that day, I imagine I can help people manage their loneliness, their debt, and their boredom. I consent to their projections and brag about how many appointments I have. I act like I know more about God than they do. Sometimes I even offer advice, which is a sure sign that I have granted permission to the projections, sustained spiritual surrogacy, risked ridiculousness. On that day I complain especially about how busy I am, how in demand I am, how irreplaceable I am.
When the day is over, I have to go back to the truth. Even the highest priest had to face her maker, his God, their inadequacy to carry the spiritual weight that is only managed by shoulders that share it. I prefer the normal day to the special day, as do most Queens. It has more truth in it.
Prayer
O God, who made not one of us perfect, grant us the reach towards grace anyway. Give us that perfect humility that allows us to wake up each day and come towards you with strong shoulders. Give us shoulders that know the limits of what they can bear and wisely seek partners to make the load easy and the burden light. Teach us spiritual physics, not spiritual surrogacy. Amen.
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