July, 2021
Valley Voice

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

“Time just got away from me.”  That was the explanation given why my lunch appointment did not show up a few weeks ago.  At first, I was upset:  thinking that this was disrespectful of my time; and, likewise, of me.  Then, I remembered how often I do the same thing; maybe not with a lunch appointment, but in so many different areas.  Time – and what we intend to do with the time we have – slips away from us.

Remembering the Sabbath may not seem like the most important of the commandments.  And yet, from its introduction to the Hebrew people on the Exodus journey, Sabbath has created a structure, a rhythm, a pattern to life.  Like there is day and night, there is a time for work and a time for rest.  If we fail to set apart time away from work – time for relationship with God and all God has created – it will slip away.

The Hebrew word for holy means, literally, “set apart.”  If we are to intentionally and authentically observe the Sabbath, then we must be honest about time.  It gets away from us; it gets crowed by our many thoughts and worries; it gets overtaken by distractions and interruptions.  Whatever we choose to be our Sabbath – whether on Sunday or a different day; for the full day or an afternoon or a half-hour – we have to set the time apart if it is going to become holy.

My doctoral program, which began in 2017, is focused on “Leadership in a Changing World,” and I have chosen to focus my thesis project on Sabbath Practices.  At the conclusion of the classwork and project experiment with a fantastic cohort of church members, I have reached the analysis and writing phase.  In order to complete the thesis, I will need to carve out and protect time specifically dedicated to it.

This was the inspiration behind my application for a Sabbatical grant through the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church, USA.  This financial assistance – as well as the support of this congregation, its staff, and its lay leaders – has allowed me to take a six-week Sabbatical – from July 19 to August 30 – the first in my twenty years of ordained ministry. 

This Sabbatical time will be focused primarily on my thesis project, which I plan to submit by January of 2022 for oral defense and graduation that May.  And yet, I, also, recognize the need to practice Sabbath – to take opportunities for rest, renewal, and relationship.  To this end, I will, also, be traveling to Ghost Ranch in New Mexico and the Abbey of Gethsemane in Kentucky for “Walking Sabbaths” with my son, Jack.  These are times set apart that I fully expect to be holy.

While I am away, I have confidence that you will be in very good hands.  In addition to the support of staff and lay leaders, Amber Balista, our former seminary intern, and Rev. Dr. Chip Steele, our Parish Associate, will be providing worship and pastoral care leadership during these six weeks.  Please reach out to them with any needs or concerns that may arise.

Finally, I ask for your prayers – that I may be able truly to set apart myself and my time for God’s Spirit to be at work in and through me.  And I will be praying for you; that in our time apart, we might all grow closer to and more aware of God at work in and among and around us.  May God bless this journey as a time of rest and renewal – but, also, growth and revelation – for us all.

In Christ,
Pastor John