The typical pastor is often a little “blue” on Monday – so much emotional and spiritual energy has been expended the day before that he feels drained and exhausted.  Preachers who are more demonstrative on the platform, shouting, jumping and pounding the pulpit, are physically depleted too.  And I’ll admit it, Monday is not my favorite day of the week.  In fact, yesterday at the SBC in Louisville I went by Guidestone's booth for their health screening. They checked my weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. and the final report, it seemed to me, was that I was probably going to die. Then I took a few steps over to a financial consultant to check on my retirement account and he told me "you can't afford to die yet"!   Talk about a depressing Monday?

This is one reason why I don’t post my Monday journal entries for you to read but my Tuesday ones.  It’s better for both of us this way.  And that’s why I don’t take Monday as my day off either.  Who wants to feel that bad on their own time?

Of course it’s more than just the toll of the work that the pastor does.  I’d never complain to you about that.  You work hard at your job, too.  I chose this for my life’s work (believing that God had called me) - nobody is making me do it.  And I am compensated well by the church for my time.

The real pressure for pastors is spiritual in nature.  It’s the burden we feel for the people God has entrusted to our care.  It’s the sum total of emergency room visits, funeral services and marriages imploding right before our eyes in our offices.  Of addictions that friends can’t beat and we can’t always help them defeat.

It’s knowing that we disappoint somebody – maybe many somebodies – every week with something we say in the sermon, or don’t say in the hallway.  And usually we don’t know that it has happened at all until we notice that the offended ones have slipped away, or hear it second or third hand that they are upset with us.  “If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man.”  James 3:2.

David Letterman was clearly in the wrong two weeks ago in his crude joke involving the Palin children.  It was indefensible.  But I almost felt sorry for the guy.  He should have apologized within the first 24 hours, not a week later, and put it behind him quickly.  I’m apologizing for a line, a word, or an illustration almost every Monday morning by email.  I’ve had to ask forgiveness for a joke or two over the years as well.

And then a huge part of the spiritual pressure pastors feel is due to the reality of Satan.  By hurling his fiery darts of temptation, discouragement and adversity our way he hopes to knock us down and defeat us.  Take out the pastor, he reasons, and the flock (church) will scatter.

Don’t think for a moment that I live in an ivory tower and never wrestle with the world, the flesh and the devil.  Because of my God-given responsibility to lead this church in holiness, mission and discipleship – I probably wrestle more than anyone else.

We are going to finish our long series of messages from First Peter this Sunday night with a study of 5:1-5.  My talk is entitled “Understanding Your Pastor.”  We’ll see what the Bible says, I’ll open up my heart a bit more for you on the subject, and we’ll even have a little Q/A if you’d like.  The Holy Spirit must want you to be able to figure pastors out – that’s why these verses are there.

We’ll have the LORD’s Supper in the morning services.