conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

sabbath 25: being sabbath

Let us remain as empty as possible so that God can fill us up.
- Mother Teresa

As part of my seminary training (a prerequisite for graduation and ordination) I served as a chaplain in a hospital. Hospitals provide mentors and educators for this purpose. This program is called Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). There's even a national body that has oversight of these programs. It's very well organized. Most seminary graduates (MDiv) have one unit of CPE. I have four. I ain't braggin' about this. I am simply making a connection between what Wayne is after this week and what took me the better part of a year to learn.

The three units I have over and above the requirement were spent at a local "Trauma One" center. I served in the ER most of the time. But I also spent time in Ob/Peds and on a Medical/Surgical floor. For me, the constant work was about separating myself (or my self) out of the pastoral relationship. My job was not necessarily to come in as the "religious authority" or anything of the sort. I discovered that my role was to get out of the way...and let the patient or family make meaning of their struggles. This meant that I could find myself in varying roles with varying responsibilities...making room for God, and somehow making room for me off to the side somewhere, or in the middle if that were beneficial. Navigating this complicated engagement took the better part of the three extra units.

Like Muller confessed, I have often found myself on the listening end of someone's troubles. And I have had to learn and relearn that I cannot fix anyone else's troubles. It's simply not possible. My job is to make room, to provide a holy space or time for healing to happen...Sabbath. Any healing that comes is due to the work of God. Any experience I have from all that CPE simply relates to this dynamic.

A chaplain, as I understand it, is to facilitate the crafting of an environment for making meaning. Most of the work in this is done by the patient or the family. I could, eventually, anticipate some things, make some good educated guesses, and serve some religious functions. This is a pretty powerful position to say the least. But in the end, I had the role of mirroring the meaning they were making in the midst of their own struggles.

A pastor has a different role...well, that seems to be what Cristopher is suggesting in his post. He may have articulated something that I have been circling this past year working as a full-time pastor of a church. Good stuff.

Megan is balancing "being Sabbath" with life being so full. Do we have time to be Sabbath if our calendars are filled to the rim? Also, good stuff.

Posted by tripp at May 29, 2007 07:28 PM