A Word from Laura: Sabbath
I hope that this finds you preparing for a restful Labor Day. May it be the kind of Sabbath that allows you to rest from your work so God can be at work in you.
Someone said once that Sabbath is a gift, but it’s so hard for us that God had to make it a commandment. You may think of Sabbath as blue laws and unnecessary restrictions. Contemporary theologians remind us that Sabbath is an act of resistance, saying “no” to a culture of endless work. Communities who are forced to work endlessly to make ends meet depend on the liberation of sabbath as a reminder that we are worth more than our work.
According to Cole Arthur Riley, “Rest is not the reward of our liberation, nor something we lay hold of once we are free. It is the path that delivers us there.” She tells the story of her grandmother, who after sleeping in a car with her children because she had nowhere else, found rest in a shelter before she could find strength to move on.
Without rest, labor is not a gift. Our work becomes the means to an end, a necessity for survival rather than an opportunity for flourishing.
At Western, the Personnel Ministry Team (Mimi Scotchmer, Kathy Hawk and I, with Paul Fiddick on board for Building and Facilities) have been meeting with staff to talk about changes in church work. Over the last two and a half years, as with many vocations, the work of church has overlapped with life at home, blurring more lines between work and rest. While Western’s staff remain committed at an inspiring level, we as a church need to encourage sabbath in new ways for those who do church labor.
One opportunity for this comes with Western’s new VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone service. Not only will this option save money for the church, but in a time when staff personal phone numbers have increasingly become the best option for reaching us, we encourage you to reach us using the church number – (202) 835-8383 – and to follow the voice prompts. Text messages from us will also come from the new church system; if you wish to text me, please use (202) 835-8380.
While we will be able to check voice mails and text messages at our discretion, we may not respond outside of working hours unless the situation is an emergency. We remain concerned about you, but we’re also working on the rest that God wants – commands! – for all of us. Those who do God’s work for a living are certainly no exception.
As your pastor, turning off my mind and heart from church for one day a week is crucial to having energy, intelligence, imagination and love to serve God’s people for the other six! Over the last few months, I’ve been backsliding in keeping Friday as my Sabbath, and it’s starting to show. If I don’t return your email on a Friday, or possibly Saturday, know that I’m working on this Sabbath thing, too.
As we move into this fall, I want our ministry to allow your Sabbath to bloom and flourish. I want Sabbath to be a rest from your regular work or activity that allows God’s Spirit to be at work in you and through you – through all of us. You’re invited to “come and see” – to participate on Sundays with all of who you are, in-person. Come experience the power of God at work when a community of faith recognizes together that we are worth more than our work. I look forward to hearing more from you – your thoughts, your hopes, your reflections – as we Sabbath together.
May your Sabbath lead to liberation – yours and everyone’s,
Laura