Eugene Peterson: The Contemplative Pastor
Peterson is unafraid to confront our habits and assumptions. He tackles busyness head-on: we are busy because we are vain, and because we lack the discipline required to take control of our time. “How can I lead people into the quiet place beside the still waters if I am in perpetual motion?” I may always struggle with this, but Peterson nudges me back in the life-giving direction of reflection and retreat, ‘deliberate withdrawal’.
He celebrates the ‘ministry of small talk’ – attention to the ‘everyday texture’ of people’s lives. As a part-time, small-town minister who feels a bit lacking in lofty thoughts, this was reassuring. My blethering is not without purpose; my Facebook interactions not entirely pointless! I am reaching out to feel those textures, to check the weather in the lives of church members.
Peterson makes space for other voices, so that the reader might be enriched by discovering new conversation partners. One of the highlights of this book was being introduced to the work of Annie Dillard. Her reflections on faith as polar exploration were comforting at a time when I felt disoriented and footsore.
Peterson is explicit about our subtle temptations. His image of being ‘lashed to the mast’ of Word and sacrament is powerfully evocative. It evokes the salty sting of troubling winds that regularly blow through the church. It implies the real risk of my deserting the ship or drowning in the currents. Peterson urges me to keep going, to remain faithful over the long haul, clinging to Gospel hope.
My Celtic Daily Prayer readings remind me monthly that ‘there is a contemplative / in all of us / almost strangled / but still alive’. Peterson’s pastoral wisdom helps to loosen the grip of ministry demands and allows me to breathe.
(Rev Amanda Quick, Leven Baptist Church)
Comments