Book notes: The Pastor; a Spirituality - ch. 1

Dr. Lathrop writes about "The Pastor in Preparing to Preside" in ch. 1 of The Pastor; a Spirituality. He offers the Lord's Prayer, not just as a quick recitation or meditation. Instead, he encourages ongoing preparation through a spiritual discipline of learning the Lord's Prayer "by heart." This isn't only about memorization. He talks about knowing the prayer "in your bones," and how the Prayer holds all the elements of life, liturgy and proclamation.

"Prepare to lead the Lord's Prayer? Really? Do not pastors know the prayer by heart? ...A pastor comes to know certain central matters by heart and... he or she then brings these matters into the assembly... In such preparation lies a spirituality. Then the pastor may think about the meaning of the prayer and imagine how that meaning holds the meaning of the assembly. That also is preparation and spiritual practice. And then, the pastor gives others access to the prayer, teaches it, passes it on... That, too, is preparation" (pp. 24-25).

"Let [the pastors] see that an insertion in the actual local situation of their communities, a knowledge of the news, the ability to weep and laugh with real people, attention to such literature and film and other arts... awareness of the state of the local land and wildlife--all these are spiritual practices for the pastor, all of these accord with the spirituality of the Lord's Prayer" (p. 32).

We seek to have a "strong center and open door" (p. 37).