Some Thoughts on Sabbatical

Sabbatical is a term used often in church circles for an extended leave of absence. Too often, especially in pastoral ministry, sabbatical is used as an attempted cure for burnout, an opportunity to seek better mental health, or to make someone go away for a while so scandal can simmer down. When done well, a sabbatical is a gift to both pastor and church. Our church gives full-time pastors a sabbatical every seven years. My seven years are up, so off we go. Our church doesn’t give our pastors an assignment during their sabbaticals other than to stop working and delight in Jesus. Ok. I can do that. In anticipation of this two month forced time of rest and renewal I, as probably many do, had grandiose plans of intentionality and discipline and accomplishment. We decided, as a family, that we would stay for June and travel for July. I didn’t want my June to be a lot of sleeping in and Netflix so I made something of a plan. The last advice our executive pastor gave me before I left was to not be too ambitious, to lower my expectations of what I was going to accomplish - just rest, enjoy your family, and enjoy Jesus. So that was the plan. I had a lot of slow mornings and long coffees. I dove into the Exodus (that’s where the idea of sabbath is put in stone). We worshipped at other churches with friends we don’t normally worship with. I’ve been shepherded by Peterson, Ortlund, and Dostoevsky. I’ve ridden my bike a bit, worked with some wood in the shop for a bit, spent a good bit of time fixing cars. Now we are on the road, about 50 miles short of Memphis. One thing I have learned about sabbatical, and perhaps about spirituality in a larger sense during this first half of sabbatical, is that we usually don’t change when our situation changes. If you work hard in your job, and you get another job, you’re probably still going to work hard. If you’re bad at relationships, and you enter into a new relationship, you’re probably still going to be bad at relationships. And so it is with sabbatical. If you’ve not developed rhythms of rest and seeking Jesus in your day to day, week to week, seasons throughout a year, you’re not going to be at it on a sabbatical. Sabbath was a gift that God gave his people. Sabbath is a gift that God gives his people. In Exodus we follow the trials and joys of the Israelites, God’s chosen people. He miraculously and powerfully brings them out of Egypt where they had been enslaved by the Egyptians for 400 years. After they leave, as God is teaching them how to be a new society, he gives them laws. Most famously he give them 10. Number 4 of 10 is to remember the sabbath and keep it holy. To the Israelites sabbath was freedom from the bondage of production. For 400 years they had to produce what their masters told them to. You know who doesn’t get to participate in the gift of sabbath - slaves. And isn’t it an interesting insight into human nature that God had to command them to rest, even though they were now free. Sabbath is a gift that God gives his people. We live in a culture where, if you are reading this post, you are probably not a slave. But how often do you look around and see people in bondage? We can put lots of names on those bonds - addiction, materialism, debt, status, work, image, etc. For many in our culture productivity is an idol (side note: remember when we thought Covid’s forced cancelling of so many things and events was going to change people’s approach to being too busy?!?). To the modern Christian, sabbath is freedom from the idol of productivity. And allow me to let those of you who do not have ministry jobs in on a dirty little secret - the idol of productivity is worshipped as passionately, and maybe even more so in ministry jobs than it is in your industry. Work is good, and ministry is the most important word, so I need to maximize, producer, crush it! Ministry workaholism, though it is not done for the almighty dollar, is just as tempting and dangerous as the temptation to produce in any other job. Because whether you work in business or in a church here is what I have learned - God cares way more about who you are than what you do for him. And perhaps you’ve been operating with the idea that you will show God who you are by how much you can do for him. God loves to use you build his Kingdom and do his work, to be sure - but that must flow out of resting in Him and knowing that you are his beloved child - as the starting point. Sabbatical exposes the location of one’s identity. The question I’ve been wresting with the Lord over is this very question. Where is my identity found? What determines my worth? What do I need to be content? And if you’re not a pastor and don’t get to experience the gift of sabbatical, weekly sabbath is the same exercise. Daily being still before the Lord is the same exercise. All of the distractions that invade the daily resting before the Lord or the weekly sabbath are all born from the same struggle - I need to be doing something. Slavery. Idol worship. Lord, teach me, show me, give me the gift of finding my sufficiency in Christ. Jesus, be my all in all. Show me how much you love me simply because I am your beloved child. And when sabbatical is done, propel me in your love and grace into another 7 years of ministry - working hard and sabbathing hard.