Back in Prescott, when Scott Lamb was our assistant pastor, I learned that pastors are people too. And I learned that one mark of a good preacher is his ability to shift his focus on the fly. There were Wednesday night services where pastor Lamb would start his sermon telling us how lazy and worthless and unsaved we all were, and then about 10 minutes into his sermon his tone would change and by his third point he was telling jokes and making us laugh. Pastor Mitchell never did that, but he had his emotions and his mind under control.
Last night in his midweek sermon it seemed like pastor Rubi was upset that we were enjoying our new building. He took great effort to inform us that it is not about buildings. He made me wonder if building this conference center was a bad idea. But then about halfway through his sermon I noticed a shift in his delivery. A wise pastor knows when he has been too hard or too strong for his people, especially on a Wednesday night.
Being the senior pastor of a church like San Antonio or Tucson or Prescott is not an easy job. Pastor Rubi needs our prayers and he needs the Holy Spirit to strengthen him in his mind and his heart and his spirit.
Pastors are people just like us. Moses was not superman just because his face shone. Jesus Christ became a man to save men. But pastors are critical to our survival as a church and as Christians. I appreciate the ministry of pastor Rubi and his assistants.
The soup is never eaten as hot as it is cooked. A wise pastor knows how to make God's word palatable to real people where they are right now.
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