My Tribute to Rev. Dr. Rolf Scott Haasarud

[1940-2016]

Scott taught me more about spirituality than any person I have known.  I learned from him as a colleague in ministry (we spent several years on the same church staff together), as one of his spiritual directees, and as we worked together leading Men’s Spirituality Retreats (some 7 or 8 in total).  Even after his death I am learning from him, as I read his writings.

One learned as much, if not more, about spirituality from observing and knowing Scott as a person, as from his teachings and writings.

He exuded pure grace and acceptance for all people.  He was filled with compassion and love.  He was warm, gentle, non-judgmental, with a wonderful sense of humor.  This is why he was probably the finest retreat leader I have ever known.

I still recall the first men’s retreat we led together, on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  My task was to organize the retreat and lead worship.  Scott would facilitate all of the organized discussions.  When the sign-up list was complete, I looked it over, and the retreaters included about 6 or 7 men who are very strong-willed and opinionated, varying politically and theologically from the far left to the far right.  I went to Scott and said, “I am sure glad you are leading the discussions.  I wouldn’t know how to go about it with this particular group of guys."

Well, Scott, in his unique and unassuming way, led profound discussions in which these men really opened up, sharing their pain and joys without a single moment of conflict or arguing.  I stood amazed at how Scott was able to do this.

Scott liked to talk about spirituality as taking seriously what Jesus took seriously.  And he did try to take Jesus seriously, exemplifying in his daily life the genuine love and compassion Jesus had for all people.

I love so many of Scott’s stories.  One of them was about a position for which he was interviewing.   Apparently he received a call from the interview team just as he was waking up from a nap.  They asked him something about Jesus, and in his semi-dreamlike state he replied,  “I am a big fan of Jesus.”  Well, apparently things went downhill from there, and he didn’t get the job.  Frankly, Scott was not only a big fan of Jesus, but one who also tried to live out the love of Jesus in the most practical of ways. 

Scott had a special concern for clergy, and many of his spiritual directees were clergy.  During the time I was seeing Scott I was going through the experience of my son and daughter growing up, needing me less, and preparing to go off to college.  I still remember something Scott told me: “When our children turn 16, they decide we don’t know anything.  When they turn 26, they can’t get enough of us.”  My son is 30 and my daughter is 26, and Scott was entirely correct.  He helped me trust that the spiritual wilderness we enter as our kids need us less will one day give way to an even deeper connection if we can be patient and wait for them to return on their own terms. 

Scott was way ahead of time in recognizing the ways that the church and religion are on the decline in our culture, and he understood clearly the reasons why.  He challenged people to move from belief as an intellectual exercise to faith as a journey or pilgrimage in which we attempt to become awake to what God is calling us to be and do in the here and now.   This takes great courage as we set out on our own, unique, spiritual journey, unafraid to let go of the trappings of the past that might be holding us back.

Let me end with one of Scott’s own descriptions of this journey:  “The purpose of spiritual direction . . . is to assist the person to do a spiritual analysis, to bring spirit to bear upon the soul, ultimately to listen to what God yearns for in their lives and how that shapes their next steps.  One begins spiritual direction by not knowing where one needs to go or what one needs to be, but by consciously listening to what God is up to, new insights emerge.  Since one can only know the will of God after it happens, this process begins with no diagnosis and treatment plan but rather with a process of engagement that leads to new surprises.  One begins by discerning the pieces and parts of one’s spirituality, then listening to what God wants, and then doing the final tasks of blending all of these realities.”

Thanks, Scott, for being such an important part of my spiritual journey, and for continuing to guide me.