A [Communal] Sabbath
'I was sitting there in the closet thinking about how far I could be by 11a.m. The next service was starting, I had just finished the 9:00 service, and I was done. I escaped to the storage closet where I could be alone and collect myself and figure out what to do next.
I was moments away from leaving the whole thing.'
(Bell, Velvet Elvis, p. 103)
I have a confession to make:
Though I've never been more affirmed in the call to ministry, most of my time as a youth minister has me working for a Sunday - towards the next event, program or meeting.
This is why myself (and so many others) resonate with what Rob experienced years ago. With the best intentions, Sunday's have become work days for those in the ministry and another morning obligation to those who are involved; filled with: 'Committee meetings, youth group events, choir practices, elder meetings, small group gatherings and congregational meetings' (p. 116)
We have tailored our worship services to an hour so that we might come together and use the language of community but in reality we are simply a gathering of individuals who might hold similar beliefs. Church and following Christ has become another box that we check off when we do the proper amount of things to be in the club.
The sad truth is that life in and around the church these days often leads people into a way of life that is becoming more and more layered with Christian busyness.(p. 119)
Whether we would like to admit it or not, we like quantifiable results in regards to our our pastors and church leaders. Look no further than to the elevation of the sermon as a measure of qualification of a pastor. I've seen pastors let go because they're preaching style was not up-to-par with their predecessor. I sit in seminary classes with individuals who take the responsibility of preaching very seriously, they speak of devoting hours upon hours to study and preparation. Yet few speak of the amount of time they plan to meet and pastor individuals.
We wonder why the Church has lost influence; might one of the causes be that we are simply modeling the same patterns and rhythms of busyness and drive found in other spheres rather than embodying a counter-cultural communal approach - our focus is no longer connection but rather production.
We talk of Sabbath but we have no idea what that might actually means. We personalize and customize it to fit into our schedule - on Tuesdays afternoon, alone. Sabbath was made for humanity, as a whole, through individual postures and expression we join together. Sabbath is to be a shared experience. Just has the gathering of a worship service is to be shared. It is only together that we become the body of Christ.
What would it look like for in the job descriptions of our church leaders be ones of relational focus rather than programmatic?
Could we see a pastors role as more than preaching and give them permission to be moved and restored on a Sunday with the community they are a part of not simply pouring into it?
Could this change the burnout/spiritual emptiness experienced by many? Probably.
Could embracing and keeping a communal understanding of holding the Sabbath change a church, a community, a city? Probably.
Am I willing to risk pursuing making this a reality?
Not alone, I could only do with with you.
*Unless otherwise noted, the book that is referenced in these posts is from Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Barton.