As I begin my eighth year of ministry at First Lutheran Church (FLC), I realize the need to plan for a sabbatical in the year of 2011. It is time for renewal for the congregation and myself.
The term “sabbatical” comes from the Hebrew word, “Sabbath”, which means a day or period of rest. In Mosaic law, the “Sabbatical Year” became the “seventh year” a “fallow” year for all of the land, vineyards and fields. This was a stewardship issue for the Israelites, in which they acknowledged the need for “resting” the land which gave them life. As an additional sign of God’s love and mercy, the “sabbatical year” was a time to release all debtors from their debts. Today a “sabbatical leave” is a time for rest, reflection and concentrated study. For pastors it is a time to deepen their faith practices, to rest, to have a break from the daily routine and to strengthen their ministry skills. At the end of the sabbatical the pastor continues in his/her position for an extended period with a sense of renewal and renewed energy for ministry.
A sabbatical not only provides an opportunity for me to have some much needed time for rest, spiritual growth, and reflection, but this is also an occasion for FLC to reflect upon mission and to consider ways to strengthen and improve our ministry together. A sabbatical period can be a first step in a strategic planning process that can take our partnership together in the Gospel to a new level.
Sometimes there is a certain amount of fear connected with “letting go” of a pastor for a period of several weeks. It is believed, however, that sabbaticals are ultimately about not just rest but also trust–trust that the Lord truly will provide when we let go.
Please pray along with me as I begin inviting others from FLC to join me in the planning process. The purpose for my sabbatical will be that of refining and updating professional skills and refreshing my spiritual life. FLC will benefit as a congregation as you are led to reflect upon what God is calling the church to do in relation to sharing the Gospel with others more fully.
Welcome back!
Sorry to be tardy in a comment on your 8/20 blog. I blew out the monitor on my old ’07 computer. Getting a new one shipped from Ireland and then yesterday getting it to play nice with its low def playmates proved tricky. Ultra-sharp HD may be nice, but it sure is dicey.
I’m fascinated by your juxtaposition of Rest, Renewal Revival with the lectionary comments.
Joy in suffering and pain is indeed a dicey concept in any age. In a time when the zeitgeist is take two tablets and move on with your life in the morning, it can be unintelligible.
Many years ago I read a book by a Church of the Brethren theologian. Not exactly a flaming liberal member of the Christian Tribe, he pitched the idea of banning the Bible in the USA for at least twenty-five years.
His argument was rooted in the observation that in a mobile society fewer and fewer Christians in the pew had grown up in a context infused with everyday values of a Biblically literate culture.
He made sense. Although I lived with the lectionary snippets for fifty years, I often thought preaching from them a waste of energy. My Brethren friend’s idea that the Bible had become Yellow Pages to find entertainment and products to satisfy immediate desires resonated.
How can you find joy in suffering or pain? I found your focus on a ‘fallow’ Sabbath as God’s gift of love and mercy a wonderfully adequate, if difficult, answer. It takes time to heal a physical wound. It takes a season of grieving to accept a loss. Of whatever nature – death, disability, dear friend, even a dependable daily routine, be it large or little suffering loss needs time to assimilate before joy appears.
Thought provoking blog! Glad to have you back. Love, Al