Sabbaths and Sabbaticals

            In the books of the Law (sometimes called the books of Moses), there are various laws about the Sabbath.  The seventh day of the week is to be a Sabbath to the Lord.  Every seventh year is also to be a Sabbath, or a sabbatical year.  And then, after seven sevens (49 years), it is to be the Sabbath of all Sabbaths – the year of jubilee.

            Each of these Sabbaths has to do with setting both people and creation free.  Debts are to be cancelled.  Slaves are to be freed.  Land is to be returned to its original owner, and in the sabbatical year, the land is to rest.  It is not to be cultivated or seeded, but is to lie fallow for that year.

            To some extent, this is where the concept of having a sabbatical every seven years comes from.  And, when it applies to a pastor, it has to do with setting your pastor free – free to rest, and to study, and to travel.

            As a pastor, I wish that I didn’t need a sabbatical.  I’d like to be able to keep going, full steam ahead, for many years.  But I’m just not built that way.  In fact, most human beings aren’t built that way.  We all function better when there are built-in breaks along the way.

            As I write this, the gospel that I have been working with this week includes the feeding of the 5000.  In the Holy Land, this miracle is remembered at a place called Tabgha, a place that is very near to my heart.

            It was seven years ago that I visited Tabgha during a course in the Holy Land.  I experienced a profound spiritual awakening there that carried me through for many months afterwards.  Whereas beforehand I was simply exhausted, afterwards I wanted to worship and give thanks at every possible opportunity – even early in the morning! 

Now, seven years later, I am very aware that I need another sabbatical.  While it is a challenge for the congregation during that time, the hope is always that the long-term benefits will outweigh any short-term loss.  Otherwise, you will simply continue to have an exhausted pastor.

            I remember hearing a pastor quoting somebody’s thoughts about the Sabbath.  He talked about a Sabbath once a minute, once an hour, once a day, once a week, once a year.  The point he was trying to make is that we all need that time to pause, and breathe, and rest, and be aware of the presence of God.

            I am well aware that for many people these days, it is very difficult to have a Sabbath.  But think seriously about the concept of once a minute, once an hour, once a day, once a week.  In most cases, it is not something that anybody is going to give us.  Instead, it is something that we need to try to build in for ourselves, not just in order to obey the commandments, but because we need it.  It is essential not only to our health, but also to a healthy relationship with God.

            I don’t know about you, but sometimes I think I have superpowers.  I think I can do just about anything, and then I find out afterwards that actually, I can’t.  This has been especially apparent while recovering from surgery. Really, I should not find my need for rest surprising.  After all, even God rested on the seventh day!

            And so, I wish you all a Sabbath rest – once a minute, once an hour, once a day, once a week, once a year…

                        In Christ,

                        Pastor Lynne Hutchison