The idea of sabbaticals for clergy has gained increased acceptance throughout the church and Presbyteries have been helpful in advocating that a sabbatical be part of a pastor’s call. Many churches have recognized the benefit of their staff having sabbaticals and apply that to all members of the staff. Still, some congregations continue to resist and even resent their pastor having a sabbatical. In many cases, it is because they both fail to appreciate the demands of ministry and because they see sabbaticals as simply an extended vacation. The erosion of any respect for the Sabbath in our society contributes to a failure to appreciate sabbaticals as well.
From the beginning, even the faith community recognized that the sabbath was a unique concept that required more explanation than the other commandments. Whether one obeyed it or not, the command not to kill, steal, commit adultery, etc. was self-explanatory. The Sabbath commandment is the only commandment that receives different explanations in Exodus and Deuteronomy. In Exodus, the Sabbath was said to be part of the creation rhythm. The need for the Sabbath was built into the framework of life. In Deuteronomy, the reason for the Sabbath was based on God freeing people from slavery. The Sabbath was an essential part of our breaking the tyranny of being enslaved by any of the various demands of life.
While the “blue laws” were seen as one religion imposing their ideas on the rest of society, the failure of the church to offer the Sabbath as an opportunity to maintain our humanity and our freedom from being enslaved by productivity, is a loss for all society. In Friday’s blog, I want to suggest some ways that the hierarchy, in our case the presbytery, can strengthen our understanding of sabbaticals and the Sabbath.
