" My spiritual director at the abbey of the Genesee spent one day a week in a small hermitage on the property of the abbey. I remeber that his absence had a comforting effect on me. I missed his presence and still I felt grateful that he spent a whole day with God alone. I felt supported and strengthened by the knowledge that God was indeed his only concern, that he brought all the concerns of the people he counseled into his intimate relationship with God, and that while he was absent he was, in fact, closer to me than ever."
I wonder why it is that we pastors don't get this. I believe it is our desire to feel needed, indispensible, and useful to people. We must be at every meeting, at everyone's beckoned call. I know that I feel insecure when I hear that someone is sick, or in need, and I haven't been to see them. My feelings are not a desire to be there for them, but "what are people going to think if I don't go see them?", or "will I be seen as needed if I don't step up here?".
I am beginning to learn that the most important thing I can do for my faith community is to make sure I have times of absence from them and presence with God. I have a long way to go in living this out in my life.
6 comments:
Hi Ben,
In the Episcopal Church, Priests are encouraged to take Sabbaticals, to step out of ministry for a while. It is a very Benedictine practice, balancing rest with work and prayer.
Yep -- it shouldn't be so tough. I like Eugene Peterson's idea that a minister's job is to attend to God and help others attend to God.
Beginning this fall I am planning on beginning a discipline of getting away one day a month for prayer, reflection and planning. Like Nouwen's spiritual director, I hope it will be both a time of personal renewal and a time to bring the community I shepherd before the Lord.
Lately I am feeling a hunger in my heart towards quietness and reflection. I think I might need to get away as well. I have heard that Gethsemene is a beutiful place. May be too far though. It is good to have that place not too far but far enough from home that you can go and spend time with God.
Ben,
Is this place any closer to you than Gethsemani?
http://www.mepkinabbey.org/who_visits_mepkin_retreatants.htm
It's Trappist just as Gethsemani is, and I know someone who has been there and says it is beautiful. Perhaps it could be an option for you. Check out their site and see what you think.
Peace
Hi
Great post :)
I'm not sure what kind of church you pastor, but my experience is that in less traditional churches the absence thing is much harder. I wonder if it's because we've been taught to look at a church more like a company and the pastor as a CEO?
Our current pastor took the whole of July off and I was delighted to see a) God didn't leave with hime and b) we managed maintainance mode church beautifully in his absence :)
He also takes two days off a week Fridays and Saturdays - one for study the other is his day off.
I'm all for this too. He's got a young family and so it's important to have a sabbath rest with them. We need that role modelling or we will be a church of broken homes because we put church before family, church before God.
I know. I've been there :(
thanks for this. We are to, as MiT said, balance rest with work and prayer. Those of us with families have to make them a priority too. They are a wonderful God-given responsibility :)
Thanks for all the comments everyone. Father Pete, I like your plan. I might adopt that myself. I also thought of once a quarter going solo camping,(I love the outdoors), and taking with me study material, and spending time with God.
Amanda, I have already mentioned this to you, but I am still chewing on your last statement that in "going to gethsemane we are serving our community just as Christ served us in his death." We need a practice of going to the gethsemanes of life.
Lorna, I think you are right. We have adopted a corporation mindset when it comes to the church, when our leadership should not be modeled after the best in the business world, but the servant king, Jesus. Good thoughts.
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