THEME: REST AND RENEWAL IN THE SPIRIT OF TRUST, HOPE, AND LOVE
Over the past few months our pastor Ann Bolson and members of the sabbatical committee at Wild Rose have been actively providing information, engaging in conversation, and planning the details as it relates to our Sabbatical time during the months of June 21st through September 20th. Today, some of the information I will share with you are details and reflections regarding the sabbatical period for this summer.
Sabbatical for a pastor has been described as a period of time when the pastor is away from the congregation to renew and reflect upon their calling to ministry. It should be time in which new learning and revelations evolve and the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the pastor is awakened and renewed. Some of the time our pastor will be involved with new experiences and learning, but as you know because of the smallness of our congregation and the lack of financial resources, much of the time away for Pastor Bolson has been and will be funded through outside resources, by Pastor Bolson herself and/or through grants. However, we provide this time for her with a sense of understanding that she will come back to us renewed and open to the spirit of possibility.
So, I say to our Pastor Bolson, Seek to rest and find renewal and peace of mind during this sabbatical period. Find consolation in these words from Psalm 23: 2-3:
God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows;
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
As a congregation we have committed to our pastor in providing this time apart, but we have also been committed and diligent in seeking creative ways to continue our efforts with weekly service, and seeking ways to open ourselves to new opportunities and possibilities in our faith community. Today, I submit to the congregation a document of the plans for the sabbatical period. During the month of May, some of the members of the sabbatical committee will highlight some of the events, speakers, and activities that will be a part of our sabbatical experience this summer.
In addition to the on-going pastoral care needs of our congregation, Jan Switzer and Mary Jean Bedard have graciously accepted the responsibility to provide pastoral care for our members and will share in the duties of being on call for the pastoral needs of any member when needed during the sabbatical period. I as moderator continue to forge ahead in my commitment to you as I have in the past, with additional commitment to accepting all requests, questions, and concerns as it relates to affairs of the church. I ask that our collaborative spirit continue and be amplified during the sabbatical period. It is important to know that as we seek and partake in creative experiences, it is critical that we remain focused and true to our mission, to our commitments, and to our care for ourselves and each other. I believe that the planned worship services, events, and activities will provide an atmosphere for each of us to be fed spiritually and for our souls to be enriched beyond measure. I recognize again the members of the sabbatical committee and all of you who have contributed to our efforts in this planning phase. Your time and efforts are a tribute to your passion and love for your faith and our congregation.
So, how do we maintain and nurture our faith, our ministry, and our growth during a sabbatical period. The apostle Paul wrote to the church of Corinth many centuries ago, when the church was bursting with enthusiasm, defining their beliefs, engaging and experiencing through multiple paths to know God. In a familiar biblical text Paul reminded the church of Corinth, as I would like to remind us today that no matter what path you seek personally, no matter what format our worship takes on this summer, to remember that love and the care of our souls and each other should be a primary goal. I leave with you the words of I Corinthians 13, which states:
1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
8-10 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
11 When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
12 We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
So, during our sabbatical time let’s seek to experience and grow in God’s love. Let us be willing to trust each other in our work together to accomplish great things, be renewed in our hope for great understandings regarding our faith, and show and experience love as a people of faith. We forge ahead to touch and inspire those around and among us, in knowing that God’s love will support us and keep us as a strong body of believers today and tomorrow.
Peace, Jackie
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
