Countdown: Five Weeks Away

The sabbatical begins just over a month from now, and it's time to finalize the details. This morning, we sent the confirmation letters to all the guest ministers who will inhabit the pulpit while I'm gone. It's a diverse list of fine preachers, and the congregation will be well fed by their words. We have also secured the help of some caring ministers who will assist the church staff in times of emergency.

Plans are set for the journey to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. I'll be there for a week-long silent retreat; friends and family have started a pool to see how long I can actually keep quiet.

The trip to Scotland is also lined up. This will be a first for Jamie and me. We will journey to the Iona Community, see Presbyterian heritage sites, as well as observe a Sabbath at the Back Free Church in the Outer Hebrides, where we will hear the psalms sung by the congregation in Gaelic.

Other "down time" is being scheduled, including large blocks of time for reading, reflection, and rest. Between now and then, the big issue will be learning how to slow down, so that the entry into the sabbatical is not so abrupt. The car commercials that speak of autos zooming from zero to 60 mph are sadly revealing of our culture. We want to move faster and quicker, and don't know how to deaccelerate without slamming on the brakes.

Slowing down without crashing will be tricky. There is, in First Pres fashion, a list of many things to do before I go: new officers to train and install, a capital campaign to organize, a new youth worker to hire, classes and sermons to prepare, a worship planning retreat for the next year, and the ever-present list of pastoral needs. There are also some big projects that will take place during my absence, all of which are deep in the planning stages. This summer, the church will install air conditioning, put in an elevator, and send a dozen young people on a mission trip to Mississippi, in addition to a full slate of ministries and missions.

Yet a sabbatical reminds you of how unnecessary you are. The world continues without you, so securely held in God's grace. The congregation is held in the best of hands.

I discovered recently what the lectionary text will be on the day before I leave. It's that story from Mark 4 about the farmer who sowed some seed and went to sleep. And while he was sleeping, the crops grew. He didn't have to stand over them and say, "Start growing!" Another force greater than him was at work.

Hmm. You'd think I'd learn to sleep more often.