Advice for All God's People

Recently, a friend was ordained in a distant diocese, and I was pleased to be a witness to that special moment. There were many years of hard, frustrating and expensive effort for my friend to finally stand there, to finally be accepted. I am deeply happy for him.

As one who had considered ordained ministry and decided many years ago that it was not my call, I wondered what it would be like. At that time I had confused having a call with the requirement that I be ordained, since that is how everyone talked about it. But over time I accepted that my call was different. Yet, the churches’ own lack of clarity about what is unique to the call to priesthood continues. The sermon at that recent service did not help.

The preacher offered advice to those about to be ordained about two critical things they must do. First, she stated that priests are called to the sacred ministry of listening. She described priests as needing to be in those places that need the reconciling hand of God and listening was essential. Second, she emphasized that priests must have a life of prayer. She emphasized that there is no exception, and stated that prayer must be part of every day.

Maybe I was foolish to expect the recognition of the ministry of all people during an ordination service. The service is an initiation ritual, conferring on those persons the Holy Spirit, and separating them from the rest of us. However, there is nothing unique to priests about either of these two pieces of advice. While both practices are necessary for the ministry of a priest, the same advice should have been preached to all of us in the room.

I may be reading too much into what she was saying that morning. But it would have been very simple for her to have changed her sermon to speak to the hundreds of us instead of just the six being ordained. She could have proclaimed the Good News that all members of the Church are called to those two kinds of activity. We all need to listen and be the reconciling hand of God in all aspects of our life. We all need the openness to God that regular prayer provides.

It is too easy for all of us to place the power as well as the burden of ministry upon the professional, mostly ordained, church staff. It is easier for the clergy because it is much simpler to do it all themselves. It is easier for the laity because we can just go, pay our dues, and not have to be responsible for our own call to minister to the world around us.

But God’s call is to all people, not just those selected to serve as priests.