Cultivating Sabbath and family vacations

 

Packing for Sabbath

I'm in that familiar season of to-do's and don't forget and did you check that!

Not the laundry lists—John has that well in hand. (One of the many reasons I'm grateful for him.)

Mine are the less tangible kind. Bulletins and sermons finished ahead of schedule. Worship details finalized. Pastoral conversations wrapped up as best they can be. Pastoral coverage lined up so the congregation is well cared for. Itineraries checked. Reservations confirmed. Activities planned for two energetic boys on airplanes, in hotel rooms, and along the way. Calendars shared. A few "don't forget..." notes sent before I step away.

There is a funny irony to getting away. Rest rarely just happens. It has to be prepared for. I suspect I'm not alone.

Whether you're leaving for a trip, taking a long weekend, or simply trying to carve out an afternoon to breathe, Sabbath asks something of us before it gives something to us. It asks us to stop believing that everything depends on us. Hard for some of us to are more tightly wound than others.

Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann describes Sabbath as an act of resistance. In a world that constantly whispers, Produce more. Hurry. Achieve. Stay available., Sabbath quietly declares that our worth isn't measured by our productivity. The world keeps turning because God is God and we are not. We are not. 

That release of control is both comforting and, if I'm honest, a little uncomfortable.

As a pastor, there's always one more visit to make, one more email to send, one more good idea to chase. Ministry is deeply meaningful work, but it can also convince us that we're indispensable if we're not careful. And I love the work. 

Yet, Sabbath tells a different story.

It reminds us that the church belongs to Christ. That God cares for God's people even when pastors step away for a little while. That grace is still at work, even when we're not. We are not the work; we are here to worship. 

So yes, there are lists to finish and plans to make before I can truly step away.

But I'm also trying to prepare something less tangible: a willingness to rest (as much as possible on a family trip, said with a smile).

Not because I've earned it. Because God commands it. God commands and models sabbath. (Genesis 2: 2-3) REST. Because we need it. Because I need it. Because the people I love deserve the healthiest version of me. And because I believe the world, and the church, will still be held together by hands much stronger than mine. A break is good for everyone. 

When I return, I'll share a few stories and pictures from wherever grace finds us along the way.

Until then, may you find your own moments of Sabbath, however they come. May you remember that you are more than what you accomplish. And may you discover, again, that God's faithfulness never takes a vacation.