March 25, 2007 | Seth Barnes | Finding your call | 7 Comments

Answering a call to ministry

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Buechner on the subject of answering a call to ministry is so good, he’s poetic. “I hear you are entering the ministry,” the woman said down the long table, meaning no harm. “Was it your own idea or were you poorly advised?” And the answer that she could not have heard even if I had given i…

By Seth Barnes

25 March 2007, 12:03 am

By Seth Barnes

25 March 2007, 12:03 am

Buechner on the
subject of answering a call to ministry is so good, he’s poetic.

“I hear you are entering the ministry,” the woman said down
the long table, meaning no harm. “Was it
your own idea or were you poorly advised?”

And the answer that she could not have heard even if I had given it was
that it was not an idea at all, neither my own nor anyone else’s.

It was a stirring in the blood at the sound
of rain. It was a sickening of the heart
at the sight of misery. It was a
clamoring of ghosts. It was a name
which, when I wrote it out in a dream, I knew was a name worth dying for even
if I was not brave enough to do the dying myself and could not even name the
name for sure. Come unto me, all ye who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you a high and driving peace. I will condemn you to death.

Comments (7)

Black

March 25, 2007 at 10:29 am

Reply

Wow!
other Black

March 25, 2007 at 12:23 pm

Reply

Amen, and very true!
Dana

March 25, 2007 at 12:33 pm

Reply

It is what others have called the burden of the ministry. It is what we are called to be, called to do, called to invite others: even if our family is not as supportive as they should be, even if we can’t seem to make people we serve “happy,” (as if that was our mission).

Good insight from Buechner. Thanks.
Jeff

March 28, 2007 at 5:59 pm

Reply

This is so true… so right on. It resonates with what Chambers says about a calling: if you can explain it, then you probably aren’t called!
Chana

May 19, 2009 at 11:26 am

Reply

Is it okay if you don’t know what you are called to do but feel like you’ve been called to do something? Because I’m not sure, which makes me wonder if I’m answering the call…
kay Momoh

June 2, 2009 at 5:13 pm

Reply

In total agreement with what you posted. But why does it have the feel…..? wow.
t

October 19, 2022 at 11:05 pm

Reply

i second the “wow…” thanks for posting that…