Our Sermons

Bible Passage: 1 Peter 5:1-4
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  July 3, 2022

I’m a huge believer in following the lectionary. To some of you this will come as no surprise. I’ve said it time and again. Perhaps some of you are wondering what in the world is “the lectionary.” The lectionary is the guide for the readings that we use each week for worship. If you’re interested, you can find it in the very front of the hymnal, starting on Roman numeral page X. In a three year cycle, for each Sunday, specific readings are chosen to use in worship. The Gospel readings take us through the life of Jesus and the teachings of Jesus and for each Sunday there are two other readings that are chosen that compliment the Gospel. We happen to be in Year C and the readings today are from Proper 9. I believe following the lectionary is important because it forces the pastor to deal with teachings that aren’t necessarily easy or popular. It’s not commanded. We have Christian freedom to choose different lessons. And this Sunday, maybe more so than ever, I was tempted to do just that. 

The second reading from 1 Peter 5 is addressed to elders, to shepherds, in other words: to pastors. That makes this somewhat of an awkward section of God’s Word to talk about. It would be very easy for me to stand up here and brow beat you about how you should have respect for the pastoral ministry and how you should be treating your pastors. It would also be very easy for you to tune out right now. You could easily wonder, “If this is written specifically to pastors, then what does it have to do with me?” I pray that we avoid both of those outcomes. While this is a little awkward and challenging, I pray that our time today pondering these words from Peter will help you to understand why Jesus established this ministry and what you should expect. 

Let’s listen again to Peter’s encouragement:   “Therefore, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and as one who also shares in the glory that is about to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: Shepherd God’s flock that is among you, serving as overseers, not grudgingly but willingly, as God desires, not because you are greedy for money but because you are eager to do it. Do not lord it over those entrusted to your care, but be examples for the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory.” 

Two different times, earlier in this letter, Peter refers to his audience as “temporary residents in the world, scattered.”  This world is not their permanent home. We love to sing, “I’m but a stranger here, heaven is my home.” Peter is reinforcing this truth. But while we are here, Jesus has not left us alone. He has established the office of the ministry. He has provided pastors. And what should you expect from your pastor? Today, God lets you listen in as he gives his pastors their instructions. “Shepherd God’s flock that is among you, serving as overseers.” Why do believers need shepherding? The simple answer is because believers often behave like sheep. Sheep are prone to wander. They need protection. Left to themselves, they are vulnerable to predation. The same can be said for the believer. Especially in our world today, with an ever-growing dependence on social media, with the lingering effects of pandemic, the temptation is very real for the believer to be spiritually autonomous. What do I mean? It’s very easy to put yourself on a spiritual island, to isolate yourself. You think you don’t need anyone else to be paying attention to your faith. This is just between me and God. But that’s not what God says. As Peter writes to this scattered group of believers, as he pulls back the curtain and lets them see what he wants his pastors to be doing, he is implying that believers need a pastor. They need an overseer. They need someone looking after them, looking over them and their relationship with their Savior. It is for the benefit of the believer that God has established this ministry. It is for the benefit of the believer that God has put pastors in place who can guide the believer back when they wander, who can feed them with Word and Sacrament to strengthen them, who can protect them from temptation and those who want to harm them by equipping them with God’s powerful Word. 

It’s been said that power corrupts. Those who have been put in positions of authority are going to be tempted to abuse that authority. Even pastors are prone to that temptation. Every single pastor out there struggles against that temptation; which is why Peter reminds pastors of those things they need to be wary of, those things they need to avoid. Just as God, in his grace, protects the sheep from isolating themselves by giving them pastors, he also protects the sheep from spiritual abuse by sharing with them what to expect from their pastor. “Shepherd God’s flock that is among you, serving as overseers, not grudgingly but willingly, as God desires, not because you are greedy for money but because you are eager to do it. Do not lord it over those entrusted to your care, but be examples for the flock.” 

So what does this look like? It might be easiest to look at the three “nots” that Peter encourages individually.  The first one: “Shepherd God’s flock that is among you, serving as overseers, not grudgingly but willingly, as God desires.” What does this mean, not grudgingly? What does that look like? Being a pastor is not a 9 to 5 occupation. It can feel like you’re on call 24/7. And so the temptation is there for every pastor to treat the ministry as just a job. How can I give the least amount of effort to get the job done? What’s my attitude as I go to the hospital, as I visit the shut-in, as I call those who haven’t been in church? Am I eager to serve them with God’s Word and be their shepherd or am I in this just for a paycheck? Speaking of which, Peter continues: “Shepherd God’s flock that is among you, serving as overseers…not because you are greedy for money but because you are eager to do it.” 

Your pastors at Eastside don’t operate under the delusion that even though we went to school as long as doctors that we are going to be paid like doctors. At the same time, this doesn’t excuse congregations from paying their pastors a fair wage. Jesus himself said, “The worker deserves his support.” Nevertheless, we knew full well what we were signing up for.  However, that doesn’t mean that the temptation isn’t there to be greedy. That doesn’t mean that the temptation isn’t there to not put forth a full effort and still get the full paycheck. That doesn’t mean the temptation isn’t there to feel like you’re missing out or your education and gifts are underappreciated. Every pastor struggles with this temptation. Yet, the third “not” might be the hardest yet.

“Shepherd God’s flock that is among you, serving as overseers…Do not lord it over those entrusted to your care, but be examples for the flock.” One thing that makes shepherds unique is how they lead. A true shepherd leads from the front. The shepherd shows the way and the sheep follow. That’s the same way that God calls pastors to lead. They are to lead from the front. They are to be examples for the people. And yet the temptation is very real to lead from the rear. The temptation is very real to hold out your authority as pastor and lord it over to people. The temptation is to drive people with the law rather than to compel them with the gospel. Now this doesn’t mean that being a shepherd and an overseer means you are spineless or a pushover. There will be times when the pastor has to take a stand on God’s Word. There will be times when the pastor will have to hold out the club of the Law in all its strength. There will be times when your pastor will have to say something that you don’t like to hear. But when it is done properly, it is done out of love. It is done for the eternal benefit of the believer. It is done to protect you. 

So what should you expect from your pastor? You should expect someone who is eager to serve. You should expect someone who cares about you and your faith and your relationship with your Savior. You should expect someone that wants to get to know you if you give him the opportunity. You should expect someone who is going to use the means of grace, Word and Sacrament, to point you to Jesus. And you should expect someone who is a sinner, just like you. You should expect someone who, try as he might, is going to struggle to carry out these directives. You should expect someone who is going to need your forgiveness as much as you need his. But here’s the really cool part. “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory.”  This is what awaits us all. The pastor/parishioner, shepherd/sheep relationship is not going to be perfect on this side of heaven, while we are all temporary residents in this world. But this world is not the end. We have a crown of glory waiting for us. A crown of glory that was earned by the Chief Shepherd, our Savior Jesus, who lived perfectly as our Shepherd, who showed the greatest love possibly by laying down that perfect life for us, who rose from the dead to assure us that our crown of glory awaits, and who helps us to live our lives according to his will. Both pastor and parishioner, sheep and shepherd need our Chief Shepherds strength to navigate this world. And both find it in the same place. God’s Words possess God’s Power. And that’s where we go together to be fed, to be strengthened, to be guided to carry out the roles God has given us. May we thank God for the blessing of this ministry, both for the sheep and the shepherd. And may we thank God for giving us this Word so that we can know what to expect from your pastor. Amen.