The Secret Religion of Jesus

  All we need do is to recognize that ministry can be a pleasure and a joy. This was shown in the ending of Shakespeare’s King Lear. When Lear asks Cordelia to forgive him, all that she does to perform a ministry is to say, “No need.” She is sincere, and Lear knows it, because of her past actions. She had kept her heart free of anger. What a beautiful ending to the play! We feel an exhilaration as we watch and identify with a wide world of ministry, without which the world would stop its movement and come to a halt.

I cannot leave ministry alone yet. It is a weak place in my character. Perhaps it is not a problem for you, in which case you won’t need any philosophizing; you can just get on with it. I would like to come to the point where I love service more than self-aggrandizement; to the point where it would give me more pleasure, more fun, and more happiness. I don’t want to think of service as a sacrifice. After all, it is the way the world, the universe, works. Every electron in every cell, every being is striving for perfection, to be like God, to be part of the whole grand design, in otherwords--  to serve. It is the tie that binds this creation of things and beings. In our depths we are connected, and this connection is waiting in each unique life to be expressed in service.

In order to fall in love with ministry, which can seem like a formidable duty and cause guilt, I think it is good to think of the ways we have and are ministering. Anytime we have forgiven, we have ministered. Anytime we have fostered harmony, even a little harmony, we have ministered. I’m sure you do it a lot. Enjoy yourself. If we refrain from throwing cold water on a dream, from criticizing, which is a violence; if we foster another’s belief in God; if we encourage the good in another; if we set a beautiful table and put a delicious meal upon it; or do any of the innumerable jobs people do. Any job is a job of ministry if it comes from love and the desire to do good to another. The world is chock full of ministers. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but it is such a beautiful concept and helps us look out on the world with