It's Just Different

For the whole of my ministry, my work has been oriented toward Sundays. Sunday is the day we Presbyterians gather to worship...or at least many of us do anyway. The rhythms of the liturgical year have framed my planning and my calendar. The idiosyncrasies of congregational life shaped my days. And yesterday, unlike the last bazillion Sundays, I found myself with nothing to do. Or, more accurately, I found myself without any responsibilities for the day. And I wasn't on vacation. It was weird and a little disconcerting.

I have a new job. Or, in church language, I have new call.  It's been a long time since my last new call, fourteen years to be exact. My kids were practically babies and are now functioning young adults...well one of them anyway; maybe two. Time flies. 

Anyway, why no Sunday responsibilities? While still a pastor, my current call is not to a particular congregation, but what we in the Presbyterian Church (USA) call Mid-Council Ministry - an entirely different beast. Of course, I knew when I accepted the offer to work at the presbytery that it would be different from congregational ministry in any number of ways. But here's the first major adjustment for me and it's proving to be a big one: the rhythm of the week. The focus of my work is no longer Sunday and I think it'll take me a minute...or two...to adjust.

It's neither good nor bad. It's just different.