Reverend Elder Diane Fisher
Reflection on Sabbath:
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Exodus 20: 8-11
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Matthew 14:23
And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed, Mark 1:35
But so much more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their infirmities. But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed. Luke 5:15-16
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. Luke 6:12
In the business of life, we are run ragged. We go from meeting to meeting, spend hours on our computers, respond to crises in our life and in the lives of others around us. We rush home from work and out the door for groceries, to pick up our children, to appointments, to church. Our lives are consumed with doing and we leave very little time for being. In other words, life just rushes past us.
As I get older, time seems to pass more quickly, seasons run into seasons, and years rush past each other. I am the first to admit that I do not take the time I need to refresh my spirit and take care of myself. There is always just one more thing that “needs” to get done - emails, phone calls, trips, budget preparation, size summits, and even writing reflections. The list I can construct is endless, and I forget that I need to take the time to refill, replenish and refocus myself. There is so much in this world to experience and explore, and if I am always busy doing, I will never find the time to encounter God’s amazing creation.
I want to take the “time to smell the roses,” to read for fun, to really be able to speak another language (like most of the world), to take pictures, to play with my dog, to pray slowly, to visit with friends, and to spend time with my daughter. I want to see parts of the world and get to know them (not only the inside of the churches). I want to watch the birds, see butterflies emerge from their cocoons, and watch the moon ease over the horizon. I want to ride my bike, ride horses, drive to nowhere in particular, fide a café and have a meal. What I really want is to embrace life and to laugh into it, with the sheer joy of it. I must take the time to just be.
I say all these things knowing that I have to carve the time out for myself regularly. I know that many of the people in MCCs around the globe are likewise driven and caught up in the business of doing church. We all have to take the time to stop doing and just be…to encounter God’s amazing world.
God rested after creation. Jesus went to mountaintops, the wilderness and lonely places to pray. I wonder why, as followers of Christ and believers in God, we sometimes forget to do the same and take the time for renewal and reflection. I pray every morning, which always helps to centre me. I think that there are so many ways for us to renew. We can take a bath instead of a shower; we can take a train somewhere we have never been and explore; or we can go to a retreat centre, just as a few examples. The important piece of all this is that we need to be rested and renewed to be our best selves. I’ll be the first to admit I have not set the best example for this. To begin to take self-care more seriously, I will be on Sabbatical beginning September 1st, 2010, until November 30th, 2010.
In 2003, when the Board of Administration created MCC’s Human Resources Policy, they wisely included a Sabbatical section; elders who have served for seven years are eligible for a three-month Sabbatical. I am blessed to be the first of the elders taking advantage of that policy.
My prayer for each of you is that you each find some Sabbath time for yourselves.
During my time away, the Reverend Elders Nancy Wilson, Lillie Brock, Darlene Garner and Ken Martin will continue to be available to offer support to your churches. I have great faith in all of you and know that you will continue to be the amazing churches you already are. If you should find that you need some assistance, please feel free to contact Marina Laws marinalaws@MCCchurch.net or Jason O’Neill jasononeill@MCCchurch.net, and they will connect you with an elder if needed.
Blessings from the endless well of God’s love,
Diane
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