Well folks, it’s that time of the year again when the bishop and district superintendents finish up the task of appointing ministers to the congregations where they will serve in the coming year. If you are a pastor, you probably know already about your next year’s assignment. And congregations are beginning to learn who will serve them in the coming year. It is a season of optimism and anticipation for United Methodists. It is also a time of anxiety for many.

     Did you hear about the lady who, upon being told by her pastor that he was moving to another parish, began weeping? Finally, she paused to take a breath and he said, “Now, now, don’t cry. I know you don’t want to see me leave, but I’m sure your new pastor will be a wonderful preacher and a fine person. You will soon come to love him as you have loved me.”

     The mournful weeper wailed, “We’ve had five ministers since I’ve been a member of this church and every new one has been worse than the last!”

     Over the next few weeks and months, this pastor succeeded in revealing what an arrogant and irritating twit he truly was. Weeks turned into months of frustration and the members of the congregation, resigning themselves to their ill fortune, winced and bore it bravely. Then, one Sunday, the pastor announced to the congregation, “My dear, dear friends, a year ago the Lord Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, saw fit to send me here to be your pastor.” Then, adding a dramatic tremor to his voice while elevating his pompous posture, he said, “Now the Lord Jesus has seen fit to call me to be the pastor at another congregation.”

     This reminds me of the story about the minister who showed up for his first sermon to the congregation that had called him to be their new pastor. He threw back his shoulders and announced in a pompous and instantly annoying voice, “My dear, dear friends, it gives me great pleasure to announce to you that the Lord Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, has seen fit to send me here to be your pastor.”

     The congregation, upon this announcement, spontaneously rose and with one voice began singing, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”!

     I love ministers. Even if I weren’t one, I would still love and admire ministers. Of course all of us parsons have our shortcomings. Usually we are at least as aware of our foibles as our parishioners are aware of them. Hence, it is usually unwise to put pastors on pedestals. But mostly we are dedicated and sincere. I’ve been a minister forty four years and I think it is harder now than ever before to be one. I hope you’ve got a pastor and that you occasionally tell yours how much you appreciate her or him. Try it. It might make your pastor speechless. On the other hand, it could cause a twenty-minute response complete with a request for an offering, a closing hymn and a benediction.

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