interim pastor

[About the photograph: This photo taken without flash from waaaaay back in the sound booth. (Zoomed to the max.) Most shots taken that way come out blurry, and preachers RARELY stay still enough for such a pic. A polarizing filter worked perfectly for one of the panes on the drum cage, but I couldn't get it to work very well on both parts visible in the shot, or even on the angled piece behind our preacher. The reflection on that sheet of plexiglass was bright and strong, because the side door was open, allowing cool, fresh air... plus intense sunlight.] The pastor who I respect and admire so much is being called to a different ministry. It can be a while before we get a new pastor, so in the interim, our pulpit belongs to this man in today's photo.

.

So far, I have only heard him preach twice, but in that short time, he is convincing me that he is the right man for the job. What I like best is that he generously speckles his sermon with scriptural references. He will do an expository style, carefully unwrapping one passage of scripture, but then he uses other parts of the Bible to help clarify the meanings. I like that a lot.

.

In his first message, he said that a new pastor might be inclined to tell his congregation what he wanted for them, but rather than that, he told us that he wanted to begin by letting us know what Jesus wants for us. More on that in a sec.

.

As a little boy, our interim pastor heard his parents pray for him. I could imagine the little guy pressing his ear against their door. He listened, as they told God what they wanted for their little boy.

.

Then, he directed us to John 17, where Christ prays to the Father for His followers. That's how we can know what Jesus wants for us.

.

That was a very warm way to introduce this, which was really the Lord's prayer. (That which we usually call The Lord's Prayer is more appropriately entitled The Our Father.) Anyway, the message was biblically sound, and it tugged at our heart strings at the same time. What impressed me the most, was that my youngest child was able to repeat it back to me with impressive recollection of many details.

.

I miss my former pastor. He is something special, and we can't exactly "replace" him, but at least the new guy's good preaching has taken some fear away from the unknown. May God bless both of these men and increase the effectiveness of their ministries, as they seek to make a difference for Christ.