For many years prior to retirement from pastoring I took Mondays off. I generally took a long walk, did some banking, and pretty much crashed. Since retirement, of course, most days are ādays offā so Mondays are pretty much like any other day of the week.
Right now, Iām filling in for a friend who is taking Sabbatical leave so Iām back āon the clockā at least in part. My only real responsibility is preaching the Sunday morning sermon although Iām ābeing the pastorā in a few other ways as well. I certainly donāt have the full pastoral load.
The interesting thing to me is that that old Monday weariness has returned. It has to be the preaching and maybe interacting with a number of people throughout the day because Iām not doing much else. I confess that Iām not much of a people person, so spending a large part of the day chatting and ābeing niceā does wear me down a bit. Still, I think the preaching is the biggest part of it.
Itās not as though Iām a high energy, pacing, pulpit pounder. My style is conversational, considerably thought through, and much prayed over. To most non-preachers I know that that doesnāt sound like much and some may accuse me of whining or maybe just of getting old and more easily tired. Honestly, there may be some truth in the second accusation and hopefully none in the first.
However, I think that thereās a least a reminder here that pastors work harder on Sundays than most people think they do, even if all they ādoā is preach a sermon for 30-40 minutes. The preparation, both academic and spiritual, takes a toll. The energy spent, even with Spirit anointing, is considerable.
I donāt think Iām just whining or wimping out. Pastors carry a burden that takes a toll and they both need and deserve a Monday day of rest.