 Back in June, I wrote about the question, "What does it mean to be a Lutheran pastor?" In that post, I provided the text from a 2005 presentation on that very subject by Prof. Em. Daniel Deutschlander. Included in that text was Dietrich Vorwerk's German poem, Des Pfarrers Predigt an Sich Selbst or "The Pastor's Sermon to Himself".
I haven't had time to personally provide a poetic translation, but just this past weekend, I received an excellent translation of the poem from Souksamay Phetsanghane, who is serving as the vicar or pastoral intern at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. You can read more of his work as one of the previous writers and translators at Studium Excitare. Thanks, Vicar, for the translation! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Pastor's Sermon to Himself
(Des Pfarrers Predigt an Sich Selbst)
By Dietrich Vorwerk
Translated by Souksamay Phetsanghane A pastor must be
Altogether great and small;
A mind refined as a prince,
Plain and simple as a lowly servant;
A champion, who has self-control,
A man, who has wrestled with God;
A spring of holy living;
A sinner, forgiven by God;
A master of his own desires,
A servant of the weak and frightened;
Bowing to no greatness,
Humbling himself to the lowest;
A student before his teachers;
A leader in the spiritual war;
A beggar with pleading hands,
A herald with golden gifts;
A man in a state of war,
A woman on her death bed;
Venerable in appearance,
Child-like in faith;
Aspiring to the greatest,
Noticing the smallest;
In tune with joy,
Seasoned in suffering,
Distant from envy;
Clear in thought;
True in speech;
Friend of peace,
Foe of idleness;
Confident as can be -
Entirely different than me! AMEN
Posted in Church History, Devotional Thoughts, Lutheran Resources, Pastoral Resources Tagged: a pastor's sermon to himself, des pfarrers predigt an sich selbst, dietrich vorwerk, lutheran pastor, lutheran shepherd, pastoral ministry        
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