Rynette and I returned from our sabbatical on Tuesday night after being away for four weeks. I believe the purpose of our time was fulfilled because we have come home rested and spiritually rejuvenated. We thank you, our elders and church family, for this extraordinary, beautiful gift! We needed the rest and the Lord has graciously granted us invigoration by His Spirit through the Word.
Some of you may wonder why the elders gave us sabbatical following seven years of ministry. Two reasons come to mind: 1. Sabbatical is a biblical idea that first appears in the creation account of Genesis. After doing His creative work for six days, the text says, "And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation" (2:2-3). Was God all worn out from creating all that was made? No, we know that isn't true. But he did establish a rhythm and pace of life for created beings (like you and me) because he knew we would need to rest and take time to focus on him. Later God even established this pattern for Israel's land, calling the people to rest their farmland every seventh year (Exodus 23:10-11). Therefore, the elders seek to honor God's Word by providing a sabbatical rest for pastors, acknowledging divinely designed rhythm for life; 2. I think the elders also have in mind that pastoral ministry is unique in its demands and stresses. In 2 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul reflects on the suffering and hardships of his ministry and concludes with these words: "And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches" (11:28)." And my thought is: Even Paul experienced pressure and anxiety in ministry, and so it is for other pastors like ours. Therefore, I am deeply grateful for our elders' and church family's understanding and generous kindness expressed in the gift of sabbatical rest.
One more reflection to share now is this… Something Rynette and I practiced together last month was reading God's Word to one another aloud. This is valuable and beautiful because it requires dedicated time together around the Bible; speed-reading and skimming doesn't occur; scriptural themes and emphases are heard more clearly; and good discussion and application inevitably results. We love doing this and I strongly encourage the husbands of RBBC to make a way to read the Word aloud with your wives!
