“I have become all things to all people” is not such a good thing to be unless it is “all for the sake of the Gospel” but even then it is a dangerous thing to do. Of course proclaiming the Gospel is a noble and worthwhile endeavor but I wonder how many professional proclaimers have sacrificed health and home by trying to be all things to all people while never being true to themselves. It may be a confession even if I’m just asking the question. The truth, according to all sorts of surveys, is that we clergy are a pretty unhealthy lot and it’s not because the devil is out to get us, we can get there without any help, thank you very much. I think it has something to do with the misapplication of this text by a demanding profession with high expectations (mostly unspoken) and low reward (by some parishes) and acts of ridicule from the wider culture. But the vast majority of hard working, faitthful, pastored up people live fully into the obligation to proclaim what cannot be escaped for “woe to me if I do not proclaim” means the call is not an option. That being said we could do better on both sides of the pew by being true to ourselves while being all things to each other for the sake of Gospel. Just sayin.
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