I was intrigued by something I read in Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon

The pastor becomes nothing more than the court chaplain, presiding over ceremonies of the culture, a pleasing fixture for rites of passage like weddings and funerals, yet rites in which the pastor’s presence becomes more and more absurd because the pastor is saying nothing that we do not already know. Or else the pastor feels like a cult prostitute, selling his or her love for the approval of an upwardly mobile, bored middle class, who, more than anything else, want some relief from the anxiety brought on by their materialism.

I guess this is what happens when we, as pastors, allow ourselves to be captured by our culture. It is hard however. The culture is so pervasive and it is difficult to to break free. This is why I believe spiritual formation is vital. The spiritual disciplines serve to create space in our lives for God to move. As we allow God to reign in our lives, we are freed to do the works of God and speak the words of God.