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Dear Friends in Christ,
Our 21st century society often devalues rest. So many of us work long hours and stay connected to work even when we’re supposed to be off. When we’re not working, we’re occupied with the daily tasks required to maintain our homes and manage our lives. Then we occupy our minds with social media and the multiple things our smartphones tell us are important. Rest, when we get it, only comes after everything else is done.
Yet rest is critical for the health of our bodies and our spirits. So, important that God commands us to rest. “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy,” we read in the Ten Commandments. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.” (Exodus 20:8-10a, 11)
Sabbath rest is deeper than one good night of sleep. It is the intentional setting aside of our labor and the many demands placed on us, so we can enter more fully into the generative presence of God. As Br. James Koester, SSJE reminds us, “We are commanded to rest on the sabbath then, not because we are tired and overworked, although we may be, but because in keeping sabbath we discover again who God is, and what it might mean for us to participate in God’s very nature, who is a God of mercy, joy, and rest.”
As most of you know, I begin a three-month sabbatical on April 1. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the words sabbatical and sabbath both trace their origins to the Greek word sabbaton which derived from the Hebrew word shabbath which means “rest.”
How will I rest for three months? How will I “discover who God is” and “participate in God’s very nature”? Baking, particularly bread and pastry. I have books to read, baking classes to take in Paris and Norwich, VT and a kitchen at home that is a place of joy and creativity for me.
As I prepare to leave, I’m reminded of a passage from Callings, a book edited by Dave Isay. A daughter asks her mother, a nurse, “How do you let go after a difficult day and come home to be our mom?” To which her mother responds, “You have to realize that you can’t change everything, and you can’t fix everybody. You just do the best you can, and if you feel like you’re doing your best every day, you’re able to kind of walk away from it and know that you’re going to hand it off to someone else who’s going to take good care of those patients and their families.”
Starting the afternoon of Easter Day, I will walk away and hand it off. But only for a brief time. I’ll be back in early July, ready to rejoin you as we continue together to embody our mission of welcoming and serving all with a commitment to justice, inclusion and generous hospitality.
You will be in good hands during my absence. The clergy, the staff, the wardens and the vestry are fully prepared. I know you will care for each other as you always do. The church will resound with alleluias during the Easter season. Compassionate ministry will continue. Summer fellowship with all of its good food will begin. I will miss you and will pray for you daily. Thank you for carrying the load while I’m away and for trusting me with this time of sabbath and restoration.
Your Friend in Christ,
The Rev. John Denson, D.Min.
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