A Sabbatical Journey
Life is full of journeys and as I write I am preparing to set off on a journey of a life-time, my sabbatical! After 10 years of ordained life, and ministry in 3 very different contexts, I have been granted 3 months of sabbatical leave. This is something I very much need, as well as a gift and an opportunity.
I shall be away from Easter to Pentecost, returning on the eve of St Thomas the Apostle, the day on which I was ordained in 1999. Whilst away I shall be embarking on several different kinds of journey:
Firstly a pilgrim journey in the footsteps of the northern saints, Cuthbert, Oswald and Bede, during June. I shall be walking from Melrose to Holy Island, and on to Hexham, some 150 miles.
Secondly a journey of prayer, while on retreat with the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield in Yorkshire during May.
Thirdly, a journey through the Bible, as I spend time studying the pilgrim journey of the people of God in the Old and New Testaments.
I go because I believe God is calling me, after a busy time of life, to stand back and be refreshed, to meet him afresh, and to be equipped by God to face the challenges of the future. I hope and pray that all with whom I minister will benefit from my sabbatical experiences…
I would like to suggest that the principle of taking a sabbatical has relevance for all of us, whatever situation we find ourselves in. The word sabbatical comes from the root word ‘sabbath’, that core tenet at the heart of Jewish-Christian faith. In the ten commandments, we are told:
“Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work“ (Deuteronomy 5. 12-14)
God commanded us to take a Sabbath, and indeed to structure our lives around the sabbath principle of work, rest and prayer, for a good reason. This is that ‘sabbath’ is fundamental to our wellbeing, our ability to ‘be’ and to praise, as well as to be effective workers.
There has always been a real danger of human beings losing this insight, and today in our 24/7 culture of non-stop work, leisure and communications, the danger has never been greater. Perhaps the present reality of the credit crunch and global recession, deeply traumatic as it is to so many people, is an opportunity for us to review our lives and seek to live a more sustainable, ‘sabbath’-centred existence. Maybe rather than seeing ‘being’ and rest as an exception in our otherwise activity-drive lifestyle, we need instead to see them as the norm, our activity arising out of this context. ‘Praise’, after all, which is so vital to our human flourishing, is something that cannot be measured in terms of human production, and yet is an essential part of our ‘being’, something that transforms our existence and makes life worth living.
As I embark on my journey, following the pilgrims of the Old Testament, as well as our St James the Great and the northern Celtic saints (St Cuthbert etc), I don’t know where I will end up – other than returning to Birstall & Wanlip for my next stage of ministry here! – but I do trust that God, who knows me best, will lead me to wellsprings of refreshment, new insight and hope for the future. Something we all need, from time to time. May God grant you also his Sabbath rest, and the joy of being one of His pilgrim people travelling in the paths of his making.