Don't you just love Saturdays?

The clerical life often means that, being someone under authority, we find ourselves coming and going at the behest of others and are controlled by the demands and expectations of ministry. Today, even though it be a Saturday, is no different from any other in that respect.

So fat today I've done my daily office, some paperwork and general administration, a 50th Wedding anniversary breakfast (which ended at 13:00) and then collected a couple of chairs for a previously homeless (thank you again Tamworth Borough council) person, collected some more furniture, wrote some poetry for use in a service, put the finishing touches to a couple of services that are coming up and now got time to check the final scores and have a cup of tea before going off to do another event elsewhere (which will be fun). Whoops - missed the writing the 'stage management' of a service to ensure that people are in the right place at the right time doing the right (or at least the same) things. Then putting together the final touches and running through (in head - a most cluttered and rubbish-strewn place) the 'Future of the church' meeting material for tomorrow night (so far people have asked if I'm leaving, the Lord is coming back or we're going to close - all of which might be . . . . . . )

Oh no, you'll have to come to the meeting to find out!!!

So, a word to the wise. Don't approach your dogcollar, pastor, cleric, priest, minister or apostle )or any other name you might choose to label them with) and suggest that the role is an hour or two on a Sunday. You might just end up hearing the truth.

So. Why not tell the person who pastors your flock how much you appreciate them tommorow?

THEN

Find the Mrs (or Mr) Vicarage and applaud the fact that without their love, input and presence much of what happens in our churches would never happen!

Thank God for the person who supports, cares, picks up the missed bit, mends the broken bits and generally makes the clergyperson look as if they knew what they were doing. Then thank God for providing them and loving us more :)

Pax