Sabbatical Rest
by Dan Christian
From the beginning, God has ordained rest as a necessary and significant part of His creation. God’s rest on the seventh day of creation was not because He was worn out, but in order to establish a pattern of work and rest for His created beings (Genesis 2:1-3). Part of God’s good design for human beings—before the fall into sin—is that we require daily sleep. To be a creature rather than the Creator, a finite being rather than the infinite God, means that we are bound by certain limits. We cannot live without air or food or water…or rest.
Because of sin, our human need for rest is not merely a physical limit of our finite bodies; rather, it has also become a deep need of our souls. Thus, Jesus gives us a compelling invitation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29) Our souls need rest, a rest that only God can provide.
God calls us to enter His rest through faith and obedience (see Hebrews 4:9-11). That can happen in part here and now, but will only happen fully when we are taken out of this sin-sick world and brought into our eternal rest in the very presence of our God. And so even as we strive to learn godly rhythms of work and rest in the midst of our labors here on earth, we long for that fullness of rest in Christ that will be ours someday.
One helpful rhythm of work and rest that we have been granted as full-time pastors at Evergreen SGV is the opportunity to take a 3-month sabbatical every fifth year of our employment. The stated purpose for these sabbaticals (according to our staff policy manual) is: 1) Rest and relaxation from the rigors of ministry, 2) Spiritual renewal and replenishment, 3) Growth in specific areas of life and ministry, and 4) Time to visit and learn from other churches and ministries.
We recognize that we as pastors are better equipped and able to serve and shepherd this church family when we are experiencing rest for our souls in Christ. Granted, much of that rest can—and does—come through daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms of rest and retreat, individually and in community. Yet there is a different level of rest that can only come through pulling away entirely from our regular responsibilities for an extended time—that is what a sabbatical provides.
I was due for a sabbatical last year, but initially decided to postpone it because of all the transition happening in our church, and then the pandemic shutdowns further complicated those plans. So I have finally been able to schedule my sabbatical for this summer—it will be starting on May 9th and continuing through August 7th. I am so grateful for the generosity of our church to grant this kind of restful space for me!
As I enter in to this sabbatical time, would you please pray for me?
Please pray that I could truly rest and be refreshed, and that God would invigorate my soul for this next season of ministry ahead.
Please pray for my family—it is not just me that is exhausted, but my whole family is very weary also. The constant demand of caring for our daughter with special needs takes its toll, and with this past year+ of pandemic quarantines, that toll has climbed exponentially. There is no sabbatical from family pressures—pray for strength and grace day by day.
Please pray that our daughter could return to the various places where she receives care and services (which have been unavailable during the pandemic), and that she would not continue to regress.
Please pray that God would give me vision and direction for the new areas of ministry that I will be overseeing: biblical counseling, young adults, retreats and conferences, and baptism/Communion.
In order to facilitate this time of rest, you will most likely not be seeing me on Sunday mornings or hearing from me in various communications for the next three months. But please know that I will be praying for you during this time, and I will look forward to entering back in to this joyous work of shepherding souls, to which God has called me. Until then, it is time to rest.