So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. (Exodus 17:11-12).
This is not the pattern we see in the Body of Christ. Instead of finding a stone and placing it under those in pastoral leadership, we often throw it. What was intended to bring strength, a place to sit, has become a weapon. Aaron and Hur supported Moses hands. They held up his arms. Very often we find the opposite to be true. Those in pastoral leadership are expected to be expert hand-holders, soothing the already gluttonous Body of Christ.
As the story goes, when Moses grew weary and his arms fell for lack of strength, the battle against the Amalekites turned in their favor. When Aaron and Hur held the arms of Moses, Israel gained strength and overtook the Amalekites.
Without those men supporting Moses, the battle would have been lost. There are so many pastors and their families losing the battle because Aaron and Hur are busy. The Aaron's and Hur's of today's church expect that same pastor, with two hands, to hold up four arms. And we wonder why he or she is tired. We wonder, but we still throw stones.
Looking for Hands,
We visited last week with a young pastor whose hands are heavy already. He was considering an offer to pastor a church that expected full time ministry at part time pay. He wants to stay in ministry, but cannot afford to and take care of his family. When did the church turn into the Donner Party, cannibalizing its ministers and their families instead of supporting them?
ReplyDelete