Main Site Cathedral Church of the Advent Cathedral Church of the Advent
  • Sunday Morning Sermons
  • Dean’s Class
  • Other Classes and Audio
  • Lenten Preaching

Six Weeks of Prayer: Sunday, October 8, 2017

October 8, 2017| Posted By Charles Gaston

Paul speaks to the pastors of the Ephesian church before he heads to Jerusalem, and they don’t expect to see him again (20:38). Be deliberate about your pastoring, he tells them. What does it mean to pastor? God’s plan for the church is to have pastors (sometimes called elders, other times overseers, but used interchangeably) to oversee congregations.

Pastor is a funny word. It means shepherd, but because of how we translate that word into English, pastor has stuck in our vocabulary. Worse yet, when we talk about being pastoral, most people think of pastoral care. Pastoral care is part of pastoring, but only part.

Shepherds look after flocks. A shepherd with one sheep is not much of a shepherd. So to pastor means to pastor a congregation, not individuals. Of course, there is a place for one-on-one work, but a pastor is never more pastoral than when he is preaching. That is the occasion when the flock is gathered together and directed and guided by the pastor. To pay attention to the flock is to pastor all of them through the ministry of the word.

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)


PRAYER

O God, who didst lead thy holy apostles to ordain ministers in every place: Grant that thy Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may choose suitable persons for the ministry of Word and Sacrament, and may uphold them in their work for the extension of thy kingdom; through him who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

  • Share4
  • Tweet
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Subscribe to
our Podcasts

Browse:

  • by Scripture
  • by Speaker

Audio Categories

  • 5 O'Clock Service (12)
  • Adult Education (328)
  • Art (5)
  • Ash Wednesday (13)
  • Books (9)
  • Christmas (54)
  • Community (5)
  • Dean's Class (523)
  • Death (4)
  • Easter (14)
  • Evangelism (2)
  • Faith and Family (62)
    • Gospel Moments (6)
    • Philosophy of Ministry (6)
  • Good Friday (10)
  • Lectures (76)
  • Lenten Preaching (359)
  • Marriage (11)
  • Maundy Thursday (8)
  • Men's Ministry (5)
  • Music (14)
  • Other Classes (1,123)
    • Cinema (16)
    • ECW (10)
    • History (6)
    • Lent (14)
    • Men's Ministry (29)
    • Missions (11)
    • Newcomers & Inquirers (61)
    • Nightmare (3)
    • Parenting (64)
    • 2012 Rooted Conference (13)
    • Small Groups (12)
      • 3 minute lectern talks (4)
    • Women's Ministry (83)
    • Youth (28)
  • Other Sermons (368)
    • Confirmation (2)
  • Parish Life (15)
  • Parish Meeting (3)
  • 2015 Parish Retreat (4)
  • Podcasts (1,769)
    • 5 O'Clock Service (12)
    • Advent Theological Lecture Series (1)
    • Gospel Moments (6)
    • Men of the Advent (1)
    • Other Sermons (16)
    • Classes and Lectures (488)
    • Dean's Class (319)
    • Good News for Teens (27)
    • Lenten Preaching (231)
    • Sunday Evening Sermons (158)
    • Sunday Morning Sermons (393)
    • Women of the Advent (10)
  • Rally Day Skit (2)
  • Refectory (16)
  • Reformation (2)
  • Stewardship (8)
  • Stewardship 2015 (4)
  • Stewardship 2016 (7)
  • Stewardship 2018 (3)
  • Stewardship 2019 (1)
  • Sunday Evening Sermons (320)
  • Sunday Morning Sermons (644)
  • Thanksgiving (7)
  • Theology (144)
  • Trinity Bible Study Class (48)
  • Women of the Advent (10)

Series

  • Adult Educations (1)
  • Advent Theology Lecture Series (14)
  • Arts + Culture Series (8)
  • Atonement (3)
  • Christ and the Christmas Crunch (1)
  • 1st Corinthians Class (15)
  • Crime Fiction and Gospel Conviction (2)
  • Ecclesiastes (3)
  • Election & Predestination (3)
  • End of the Book (4)
  • 3 part Exodus series (3)
  • Faith and Family (97)
  • Fatherhood (5)
  • Galatians (3)
  • Hebrews (8)
  • How to Read the Bible (2)
  • 2016 Kanuga Renewal Conference (3)
  • Three Lenten Sermons on St Peter (3)
  • Minor Prophets (4)
  • Old Testament (6)
  • The Parables (12)
  • Parables of Jesus (5)
  • Quotable Quotes (5)
  • 3 part Revelation series (3)
  • 1st Samuel (5)
  • 5 part series on James (5)
  • Sermon on the Mount (4)
  • Solas (6)
  • Summer Conversations (13)
  • Titus (4)
  • The Upside-Down Kingdom (2)
  • When Good Fathers Die (3)
  • Why We Worship the Way We Do (3)
  • 2015 Women's Retreat (4)
  • 2016 Women's Retreat (3)
  • 2018 Women's Retreat (3)
  • Zechariah (4)
  • Sunday Morning Sermons
  • Dean’s Class
  • Other Classes and Audio
  • Lenten Preaching
Main Site

© Copyright 2023 Cathedral Church of the Advent. All Rights Reserved | web development by Infomedia