From as far back in the Bible as Leviticus 1-3, it’s obvious: The work of the priest is the messy and unglamorous work of helping people restore themselves to right and loving relationship with God.
In Leviticus it’s a lot of literal guts and blood and other bodily fluids and smells. It’s not for the faint of heart, or those with a strong gag reflex. It’s not quite so literally messy in our day, but the metaphor is a solid one.
Spiritual leadership is messy work. Because people are messy. Because working with the mess is part of the process of seeking after God.
To grossly misquote Wesley from in the Princess Bride: “Pastoring is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”
