A glimpse of my own mortality

No, I don't mean 'something that reminded me that I'm gonna die someday.' I've seen enough death to be pretty aware of that all the time. But in this case, I mean the effect my mortality could have on The River. What happened is that Beth (my wife, and also a pastor) had to call in sick on a Sunday morning. We've both been pastors for about 6 years, and that was the first time either of us had had to call in sick on a Sunday. She was in terrible shape and was supposed to fill-in at a church in Alabama, and she literally would not have made it. She would have passed out while driving and wrecked. And even if she had made it there, she would have had to leave at some point during the worship because of the vile things going on with her body. She just could not have done it.

It was a fill-in gig, but it got me thinking "What if that had been me? What if I had been unable to lead worship at The River that day?" The answer, sadly, was that worship would have suffered quite a bit. So much so that I'm not sure it would have been even worth doing.

That's not the way things are supposed to be. The River is not about me, and it's supposed to be bigger than me. But right now, it is not. It is also supposed to be about more than Sunday, and to an extent it is, but mostly it is not. But that's a topic for another post. What struck me that day was that if I took ill, The River would essentially cease to function as it is today. And worst of all, if I got hit by a bus and died, it would likely stop altogether.

As I said at the beginning, my days are numbered. All of our days our numbered. It's only a matter time before I'm gone from The River, and from this world. And when I saw what happened to Beth, and thought about how it would effect The River, I realized that I have not done a great job of helping others take leadership and ownership. I need to do that better- to share the vision, share the responsibility, and put others in position to use their gifts to the glory of God and to grow God's Kingdom. Not just for the sake of The River, but for the sake of the world.

So it was a wakeup call, but in a good way, because as far as I know it's not time to punch my ticket just yet. I have time to do the work of equipping and training others to lead The River, and to do the work of ministry. It's a job I'm good at, it's a job I'm passionate about, and it's time to get cracking.

As long as I don't get sick, that is.