I am in the final stages of preparation for an opportunity of a lifetime. I serve the best church ever. They actually ask the question: "How is your soul, Pastor?" It is that nature combined with a lifetime pursuit of a sabbath rhythm that have led to this place. At the end of May I will say "I'll be back" to leading Cornerstone in exchange for a summer Sabbatical of rest - renewal - re-energizing.
Two years ago I began a conversation with the Cornerstone Board and with their blessing we pursued and received a grant from the Lilly Foundation Clergy Renewal Leave Program. Receipt of the grant has made summer planning really BIG!
A practice was instilled in me 22 years ago through one of my final classes at Asbury Seminary, The Spiritual Life of the Minister. Dr. Steve Harper had us Eugene Peterson's Working the Angles. One emphasis was the importance of Sabbath. Just a few months later I was in my first church and instituted the practice of Sabbath once or twice a month. Looking back I believe it was my salvation for lasting ministry.
Henri Nouwen wrote a book, Making All Things New, that I read in those first years after seminary. In it Nouwen talked about a "ministry of absence." So often Christ-followers believe it is only possible for ministry to occur when they are present and active. I've watched Pastors neglect family, physical health and relationship with Jesus all in the name of ministry. Some Pastors feel like they can't not be present or ministry won't really happen. What Nouwen referenced was this conversation Jesus had with his disciples:
"...It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (Luke 16:7)
The ministry of absence means the presence of the Holy Spirit. I learned early on that if I'm always around, always available, always present then people tend to not depend on the Holy Spirit. And He is a much better at ministry than I am! To be always present means I can become a barrier to the work of the Spirit. But I haven't always practiced that. This Sabbatical is one way I've chosen to put my own human need and desire to be "the one." My job is more about helping people learn to be dependent on the Holy Spirit, the only one who can transform a heart.
The practice of sabbath is not just about a day but rather a lifestyle. Throughout the Old Testament laws, Sabbath permeates every part of life. The farmer was instructed to plant and harvest for 6 years but not the 7th. The 7th day wasn't just for the Jews but for everyone in the community, Jew or Gentile, from the high society to the lowest servant.
The case could be made that the practice of Sabbath was at the core of Jewish life and relationship with God. Without Sabbath, that time to stop, step off the treadmill, shut down, go off the grid, unplug, without that rhythm life becomes about me. With Sabbath it becomes about God. I stop and focus on Him to remind myself what this life is all about. Sabbath is at the core of a healthy relationship with God.
So on May 23rd I will begin regular blogging (daily would be the ideal but I know myself). I'm excited for what is to come and what God will be doing in my life and the life of Cornerstone Church. I hope you will be encouraged by the journey.
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