June 5, 2024
Last Sunday I preached about sabbath, but I’m not quite done yet.
Sabbath, my friends, is one of God’s great gifts to us. It’s one that people disregard too much. The ethic of work’s value in the United States is pervasive and compelling. We get praised for hard work – though I note that the hardest working people in the world don’t get much pay with the praise.
We pay the price in working tired, in bringing work concerns home to burden family, in loss of nurturing time with family and friends. We learn new skills at work, it’s true. We learn other skills in the midst of loved ones, skills we don’t learn on the sales floor or in the office. All work, no play makes Jack not a dull boy, but a man unpracticed in love. All work, no play makes Jill not a dull girl, but a woman untrained in empathy.
Sabbath time fosters physical rest, social nourishment, and the refreshment of prayer.
This seems like a good time to announce that I will be taking a three-month sabbatical from February 1, 2025, to April 30, 2025. The Church Council has approved the time and the project, and the Board of Deacons is seeking a minister to provide pastoral care while I’m gone. In accordance with my call agreement, I am committed to serve you the next three years following the sabbatical.
I’ll say more in the coming months about the plans I’ve made for the time. At this moment, I simply want to say mahalo. Mahalo for planning for pastoral renewal. Mahalo for the integrity of our lay leaders. Mahalo for your care for me.
I hope and pray that you find your times of sabbath, too.
In peace,
Pastor Eric
