Sunday morning started off weird--I made a couple of dumb mistakes--nothing important, just enough to keep me humble. For instance, I was reciting the Gospel lesson from memory, but then got a little flummoxed on the last line! Arrg! Then I managed to dent a silver patten during the offertory. Again, not a big deal, silver is soft and can be easily reshaped, but I felt like an idiot for about 15 seconds. Then I took a breath and remembered that our worship is always imperfect, and that the grace happens when the priest can lift it up anyway.
After the service, a person I have been getting to know gave me a precious gift of some insight into her soul. It was a nice moment that made me very grateful to God--the sort of thing that keeps you going in Pastoral Ministry. So after that I was in a great mood. It's funny how fickle a pastor's self-confidence can be--which is why you should never, ever make your pastoral ministry dependent on how good you feel! Of course, that's easier said than done. Detachment is perhaps one of the most important of spiritual virtues to develop for the sake of ministry.
In the afternoon/evening we had a little Super Bowl Party--that went well except that my team, the Patriots, lost. I can still hardly believe it. So much for perfection. I guess like worship, football is imperfect.
-t
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