THERE! I’ve said it three times in a row, and now even I’m getting a little tired of hearing it. BUT, YOU’ve had some questions which need answers. And so let this edition of THE EPISTLE be the definitive one on this sabbatical issue, with future editions providing briefer invitations, reminders, and updates.
QUESTION #1: So why IS the pastor going on sabbatical?!
One answer is because the national church (LCA, ELCA) has long recommended that congregations support their pastors in this way every 7 years (every 5 years in the UCC church), giving them a week-per-year of-ministry to refresh themselves. |
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And consequently this became one of your contractual offers to me 7-1/2 years ago when we committed ourselves to each other.
The Other answer lies in what I’ll be doing, and that centers around Patrice & I having been accepted to live within the Taize Community of France for a stated period of time. The Community was founded in 1940 by Brother Roger as a community of brothers, seeking to find “the essential that makes the common life possible.” The Community was founded near Lyon, SE of Paris, and at the time, was very near the line of demarcation which had split France in two. It was very well situated to serve as a haven for Jews and others fleeing from persecution, and the Community remained untouched by the Nazis, in effect an international sanctuary. |
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| Following WWII, Brother Roger’s sister Genevieve came to the Community to help the brothers receive and take care of orphaned children. Brother Roger developed a collection of song-prayers with simple texts and simple tunes, in order that they might be quickly committed to memory and then, by simple repetition, become prayer. By word of mouth, those who were seeking refuge found the Taize Community, and the Community attracts people from all over the world to come together and pray these |
simple songs and live in community with one another for a time. A unique piece of the Taize Community is that each may come and participate in his/her own language; because of the simple melodies, all may lift up prayer together, the music becoming the link overcoming the barrier of language. Each day’s schedule includes the introduction of the theme of the day, several worship services, quiet reflective time, song preparation and musical rehearsal under the direction of Brother Alois, who assumed the leadership of the community following Brother Roger’s death in 2005. I look forward to being part of this ecumenical, international community, as well as learning a manner of worship I hope to apply in the parish.
QUESTION #2: What does ‘sabbatical’ mean? What comprises a sabbatical?
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Biblically, the concept of a sabbatical year comes from a combination of the Sabbath (a weekly reflective rest) and the Jubilee Year (a more comprehensive and extensive time of renewal, observed every 50 years). In the book of Exodus, a ceasing of all field work was to take place in every 7th year, with a year’s produce to be given to the poor. In the book of Deuteronomy, the 7th year was assigned as the period in which all liabilities were suspended or cancelled (the ‘year of release’). In the book of Leviticus, provision is made for a 7th year fallow (i.e. a resting of the land), in recognition that since the land is GOD’s land, IT TOO was to keep the Sabbath. Further freedoms and renewals were prescribed for the Jubilee year.
Theologically, Sabbath rest is a REVOLUTIONARY idea & practice, for it is IN REVOLT against the routine boundedness of the everyday work-a-day world. Sabbath rest creates a ‘sanctuary in Time.” It frees the participant to re-focus on his birthright as being made in God’s Image, and helps her to resist the temptation to succumb to any LESSER Image. Hence, it is a time in which we become reacquainted with our true dignity and Source-in-God. Karl Barth maintained that the command to observe Sabbath time was the command to cease & abstain from one’s OWN knowledge, work, & ways… in order to Re-CENTER on GOD’S thoughts, knowledge, work, & ways.
In practicality, the first dimension of Sabbath time is the LETTING GO, vacating our normal routines and work (this is the vacation rest aspect). But there is a second dimension. For having shed what has begun to feel burdensome, sabbatical time now involves Letting Ourselves BE in that moment, in that fresh space, breathing those fresh breaths, seeing with fresh eyes, hearing with fresh ears. We are freer to realize our fuller humanity (as God’s Image), which is far wider and deeper than equating ourselves with our productivity. The focus of Sabbath time is an Appreciating rather than a Manipulating of life. Harvey Cox notes that the Hebrew word for God’s Resting literally (in 4th century) came to mean “to catch one’s breath in reflective affection.”
More simply, MY thoughts on what comprises Sabbath time can be summed up in the Three R’s: Rest, Refreshment, and Rejuvenation. |
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REST: taking a break, taking a nap, pausing in silent peace and quiet tranquility, engaging in relaxing & joyful activity.
REFRESHMENT: being replenished, being restored in strength and spirit, being revived in insight and inspiration, being fed in body-mind-soul.
REJUVENATION: to be rendered youthful again (perhaps related to ‘becoming like a child’ to enter God’s kingdom), to be given new life & new excitement perhaps for a new task, to be uplifted and stimulated and reawakened, leading to the discovering of a new energy (as children often find) and a new resolve. |
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QUESTION #3: So what’s a CONGREGATIONAL Sabbatical?
I personally never heard of a Congregational Sabbatical. The thought and inspiration came during a series of my morning devotionals in which I was struck by the situation in Mark 6. May I summarize my discovery from Mark 6 in this brief Bible study. (Go ahead, Get your Bible, I’ll wait…) |
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Mark 6:1-6a
Up to this point, Jesus has been engaged in his own ministry alone… healing, teaching, preaching, bearing the Kingdom and Presence of the Father-Spirit. But now he returns to his hometown. He is rejected and disillusioned by their disbelief. So how does he respond… does he quit?
Mark 6:6b-13
No, instead he heightens his efforts through ‘calling in the Reserves’ (i.e. the 12 Apostles), whom he sends out 2 by 2. This is the only time in Mark where Jesus calls the 12… ‘APOSTLES’, literally ‘Ones Sent Out’... and where this is not a Title for them, but a description of their being sent to do his/their job of ministry. He equips them, but not with anything they could pack… no food, no bag, no money, nothing except the tunic on their backs and a staff. And he warns them about getting thrown out of houses and towns, and shaking the dust from their feet. But they went, and did as they were told.
Mark 6:14-29
There occurs this newsreel interlude as to what CAN happen to a messenger of God, in this description of the beheading of John the Baptist.
Mark 6:30
Then the Apostles come back together with Jesus for the first time, to tell Him ALL that they had experienced. Yes, the Amazing stuff, the Good stuff… the repenting and conversions, the demons cast out, the anointing and healing of the sick. But ALSO (we can imagine), the Hard stuff, the Hurtful stuff… getting thrown out of houses or towns, being rejected, anecdotes of blisters on their feet, going hungry, getting soaked (remember, only One tunic), along with some of the cooperative-to-cranky people they had to deal with. Just imagine the volume of conversation. And Jesus response is:
Mark 6:31
“Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” Now there are several times in the Gospels (including others in Mark) where Jesus takes the disciples to himself, often away to a lonely place. But this is the one time that he specifically mentions that he’s doing it FOR THEIR REST. And a sidenote… also see how the apostles’ ministry has Made a Difference… because people have followed them, and even Now won’t let them alone.
So up to this point, picture the apostles coming together for the first time since Jesus sent them out… full of experiences, full of themselves, spewing it all out to Jesus and each other, and yet exhausted, excited, tired. This is the picture on First side of the lake. Now let’s put aside v.32, and go directly to the Next or Other side of the lake, to see what they found THERE.
Mark 6:33-42
And what these exhausted apostles found was a great crowd described as ‘sheep without a shepherd’… i.e. those who’d resonated with the Apostles’ deeds and message; who’d found their OWN life’s need to be met in what they’d seen & heard; and who therefore Wanted MORE; part of which probably was to See Jesus. And Jesus’ response? Back to work: he had Compassion on them, and Became their Shepherd. And the exhausted Apostles’ response? Although probably somewhat still in tired-mode, they have Compassion enough to feel the peoples’ hunger and to point it out to Jesus.
Jesus then calls these ‘Sent-Out Ones’ to NEW mission… to Feed these 20,000 people (if you count the women and children accompanying the 5,000 men). He showed them the means, and THEY DID IT, finding Rejuvenation in this new calling.
HOW DID THEY DO THAT IN THEIR CONDITION?
OR, HAD THEIR CONDITION CHANGED, THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO BE REJUVENATED BY THEIR DISCOVERY OF THIS NEW TASK TO WHICH THEY WERE BEING SENT?
Mark 6:32
Let’s now return to the one verse we passed over, for what I think is the answer. So what happened in that boat ride, that they were enabled to jump into new mission/ministry? Obviously they’d experienced a Rest and Refreshment in that boat ride, that opened the door for the new Rejuvenation they experienced in having a new mission/ministry. Picture their REST in that boat, soaking their blistered feet in the water, growing quieter as they were being calmed by the mesmerizing motion of the small waves. But Particularly, picture their REFRESHMENT in that boat, as they are being fed |
by the Presence of Jesus; as they RE-CENTER themselves in Jesus, listening to HIS words, insights, and perspective of their experiences, seeing them in the larger picture; as they are strengthened by his Confirmation of them; and as they move from boasting of their OWN stuff, to coming back and being centered on GOD’s purposes. This Sabbath Time of REST & REFRESHMENT surely contributed to the REJUVENATION of new life, energy, and spirit they found in their new mission.
So to answer the question, a Congregation Sabbatical is a congregation of apostles getting-into-the-boat with Jesus, to have him rest and refresh us through Re-Centering us from OUR various perspectives to GOD’s perspective, giving us new purpose, new energy, new spirit. |
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QUESTION #4: So how will our ST. TIMOTHY Congregation “Do Sabbatical”?
The answer to that will be the process of how we choose to observe “Sabbath Time.”
Those who are exhausted, overwhelmed, or feeling burdened by their ministry, have already received an invitation to REST from what they’re doing and engage in the opportunities for REFRESHMENT that will be offered, so that they may be REJUVENATED to return to their ministry with new energy and spirit after a specified amount of time. |
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Everyone will be encouraged to get into the boat with Jesus, to Rest and be Refreshed through those same opportunities of Sabbath Time. The 3-D group is already gathered around a book that guides one on setting aside Sabbath Time. Other groups will be formed around the Max Lucado study: “IT’S NOT ABOUT ME. IT’S ABOUT GOD.” I’m hoping to lead a day-time group, and enable a night-time group in this study. There will also be some single events... a 4-hour Advent Spiritual Retreat led by Rev. Dr. Tom
Lichnor ...and a Sunday (all day) pre-Lenten Spiritual Retreat led by PK, utilizing what Patrice & PK gleaned from the Taize Community for that morning’s 10:30 worship. We’re hoping to re-awaken our awareness of God’s Presence through a re-emphasizing of daily prayer/devotion (probably through mailings of ways and means to re-start). And finally, I’ll be looking for a representative sample of apostles to occupy the Crow’s Nest, in looking to the other side of the lake for what new mission or directions they might see there. |
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Well, if you made it this far, you probably have a better attention span than I do.
Allow me to leave you with this offer and promise from Our Lord:
Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens.
and I will give you Rest.
Take MY yoke upon you, and learn from ME; for I am gentle and humble of heart
and you will find Rest for your souls
For My yoke is easy...My burden light.
—Matthew 11:28-30
Baptized, together with You
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