"As a minister..."

This past weekend was the first "class" for my last year of training before ordination as an interfaith minister.  This ordination probably won't help me much in getting a position as preacher at what most people think of as church, but as I am not all that interested in leading worship for your standard church, I don't see this as a problem.  I am more interested in the learning to do weddings, funerals and other rituals that can help people transition into the next phase of their lives.  I don't know what I will do with this set of credentials, but I suppose I don't really have to know.  I just have to be ready to follow where I am lead.

The first thing our director said when she started talking about the future we had laid out before us, was that we would now be held to a higher standard.  We may encounter people every day that have no idea that we are ordained ministers.  We might dress like everyone else, wear our hair like everyone else, there may be absolutely no outward indication that we are ordained to do the work of the Divine in the world.  However, we have to remain consciously aware of how our actions impact the universe around us, whether there is an outward change or not, we are ministers and how we treat the world has to reflect that part of our call.

I once read a poem called Sermons We See.  The firs line of the poem, is "I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day."  The poem goes on and is a great one, about walking the talk.

How effective can I be as a minister, if I am not living the life I preach?

For example, There are a good number of famous televangelists that have been caught in situations that were not in line with the words they were preaching.  The Catholic Church is still suffering from the stigma of being found out to cover up the molestation of children.  While some people in the congregation can justify the actions away or even actively deny them, the seeker is left wondering how they can believe in God, when clearly the people preaching His word don't actually seem to believe what they are preaching.

Our director put out a challenge.  Our class is asked to start our thought process about every situation, decision, life choice with the words, "As a minister..." and then follow through that thought.  Whether we are in our vestments and standing in front of an audience, or just dropping our kids off at school, I am training to become a minister.  My life, should reflect my faith, my ministry.

I will make mistakes.  I will screw up and flip some guy on the freeway off when he cuts me off unfairly.  But I hope that more often than not, I will  use good judgment and follow the direction of my spirit.