Journey toward freedom
14/07/12 04:34
I suspect that I have written about and harped on the Ten Commandments often enough, but they do seem to be a challenge for people living in our society. The Biblical story and mandate are clear. These commandments are not some set of arbitrary rules established by a distant God in cooperation with a religious hierarchy. These are tried and tested truths about freedom that have been forged in the midst of the struggle for freedom by God who is an active participant in human history and works continuously on behalf of the people, calling them to justice and to freedom.
In essence the rule are all part of a simple formula. “The exodus of the people of Israel from slavery to Egypt to freedom establishes God’s authority in matters of human freedom. People, however, tend to relinquish their freedom. They make choices that make them less free. God offers ten simple commandments that, when observed, increase the freedom of all people.
The first one is the toughest and the others can be interpreted in the light of that first commandment. “There is only one God. Put God first.” It sounds simple enough, but humans have a tendency to put all sorts of other things first: success, money, recreation. . . . The list goes on and on.
Two and three follow naturally. “Don’t make any other gods, ” and “Use the name of God with care.” Every time we think that there are things in life more important than God, we end up treating those things as if they were gods. People rally around the god of sports and the god of their own images. One way to find out what is most important to people is to follow the money. People establish priorities for the use of their money. The thing they spend the most money on tends to be the most important thing for them.
The third commandment is often trivialized to “Don’t curse.” If it were only that simple! The truth is that people use the name of God to justify all sorts of irrational and destructive behavior. I’ve heard people claim that their possessions were the result of their own work rather than the blessings of God. To do so is to put themselves in God’s position.
Which brings me to the point of today’s blog. I think that some of the worst offenders when it comes to the 4th commandment, the one about honoring the Sabbath, are pastors. We tend to try to trivialize that into “attend the church where I preach.” We think that because we work in church buildings we somehow are immune from the simple mandate to take time to rest and renew. The commandment is quite clear. Even God rests. Those who think they do not need rest are putting themselves above God. Remember that first commandment? God really does understand human freedom.
I know that I am making this sound simpler than it is, but it is a difficult topic for most pastors and for me personally. I have trouble taking a day off. Vacation is a challenge for me. I keep thinking about all of the things that will go wrong at the church. I tend to be slow to disconnect. This current vacation is a good example. I try to take Monday’s off. They are supposed to be my time of Sabbath rest. Of course, like others, I usually spend Monday’s working as hard as I can to catch up on personal work, chores around the house, and other activities. I keep thinking, “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done. This week I simply worked on Monday. I got up at my usual time and went into the office. I met with a family to plan a funeral. I caught up on paper work. I made phone calls.
My vacation was supposed to start on Wednesday, but I delayed for a day because the best time for the funeral was Thursday morning. I convinced myself that I needed to officiate at that funeral and so delayed the start of my vacation.
I could go on and on with my justifications for my behavior, but there is an obvious case of idolatry in what I have done. I have convinced myself that the church couldn’t run without me. I have behaved as if I thought that I am in charge of providing leadership in place of God. It is a failure of trust at its core. God has called me to serve a particular congregation. I do my best to do so. But it is not true now and it has never been true that I am the only person who can serve that congregation. God has raised up other ministers for that congregation. God continues to call others to ministry. It doesn’t all hinge on what I do or do not accomplish.
The myth that everything will fall apart when I am gone is a failure of leadership on my part. Free people need leaders, to be sure. But free people follow God who will provide the leaders that they need. When people think that a particular leader is the only one they can follow, they are at risk of losing their freedom.
While it is true that a pastor who can’t take a vacation without worrying about the congregation is never free, it is also true that the congregation served by that pastor also loses its freedom when the system hinges on a single individual.
Yesterday, I worked side by side with my son-in-law on a project to improve the deck on their house. It was hot and we were carrying blocks and beams. I went to bed tired. But it was good tired. It was free tired. Sabbath for a minister may not mean staying away from anything that others call work. Physical labor can be a way to free one’s mind and take a Sabbath from the usual. It is entirely possible that what others see as work is essential to my recreation.
This vacation is a bit of an experiment for me. I’m still working on being faithful to those commandments. Perhaps the best thing I can do as a pastor is to be honest with my congregation that I struggle, too.
We’re all on the road to freedom – and the destination remains before us.
I started the day yesterday with an early morning paddle on a tiny lake in Iowa - a good place to find Sabbath freedom.
In essence the rule are all part of a simple formula. “The exodus of the people of Israel from slavery to Egypt to freedom establishes God’s authority in matters of human freedom. People, however, tend to relinquish their freedom. They make choices that make them less free. God offers ten simple commandments that, when observed, increase the freedom of all people.
The first one is the toughest and the others can be interpreted in the light of that first commandment. “There is only one God. Put God first.” It sounds simple enough, but humans have a tendency to put all sorts of other things first: success, money, recreation. . . . The list goes on and on.
Two and three follow naturally. “Don’t make any other gods, ” and “Use the name of God with care.” Every time we think that there are things in life more important than God, we end up treating those things as if they were gods. People rally around the god of sports and the god of their own images. One way to find out what is most important to people is to follow the money. People establish priorities for the use of their money. The thing they spend the most money on tends to be the most important thing for them.
The third commandment is often trivialized to “Don’t curse.” If it were only that simple! The truth is that people use the name of God to justify all sorts of irrational and destructive behavior. I’ve heard people claim that their possessions were the result of their own work rather than the blessings of God. To do so is to put themselves in God’s position.
Which brings me to the point of today’s blog. I think that some of the worst offenders when it comes to the 4th commandment, the one about honoring the Sabbath, are pastors. We tend to try to trivialize that into “attend the church where I preach.” We think that because we work in church buildings we somehow are immune from the simple mandate to take time to rest and renew. The commandment is quite clear. Even God rests. Those who think they do not need rest are putting themselves above God. Remember that first commandment? God really does understand human freedom.
I know that I am making this sound simpler than it is, but it is a difficult topic for most pastors and for me personally. I have trouble taking a day off. Vacation is a challenge for me. I keep thinking about all of the things that will go wrong at the church. I tend to be slow to disconnect. This current vacation is a good example. I try to take Monday’s off. They are supposed to be my time of Sabbath rest. Of course, like others, I usually spend Monday’s working as hard as I can to catch up on personal work, chores around the house, and other activities. I keep thinking, “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done. This week I simply worked on Monday. I got up at my usual time and went into the office. I met with a family to plan a funeral. I caught up on paper work. I made phone calls.
My vacation was supposed to start on Wednesday, but I delayed for a day because the best time for the funeral was Thursday morning. I convinced myself that I needed to officiate at that funeral and so delayed the start of my vacation.
I could go on and on with my justifications for my behavior, but there is an obvious case of idolatry in what I have done. I have convinced myself that the church couldn’t run without me. I have behaved as if I thought that I am in charge of providing leadership in place of God. It is a failure of trust at its core. God has called me to serve a particular congregation. I do my best to do so. But it is not true now and it has never been true that I am the only person who can serve that congregation. God has raised up other ministers for that congregation. God continues to call others to ministry. It doesn’t all hinge on what I do or do not accomplish.
The myth that everything will fall apart when I am gone is a failure of leadership on my part. Free people need leaders, to be sure. But free people follow God who will provide the leaders that they need. When people think that a particular leader is the only one they can follow, they are at risk of losing their freedom.
While it is true that a pastor who can’t take a vacation without worrying about the congregation is never free, it is also true that the congregation served by that pastor also loses its freedom when the system hinges on a single individual.
Yesterday, I worked side by side with my son-in-law on a project to improve the deck on their house. It was hot and we were carrying blocks and beams. I went to bed tired. But it was good tired. It was free tired. Sabbath for a minister may not mean staying away from anything that others call work. Physical labor can be a way to free one’s mind and take a Sabbath from the usual. It is entirely possible that what others see as work is essential to my recreation.
This vacation is a bit of an experiment for me. I’m still working on being faithful to those commandments. Perhaps the best thing I can do as a pastor is to be honest with my congregation that I struggle, too.
We’re all on the road to freedom – and the destination remains before us.
I started the day yesterday with an early morning paddle on a tiny lake in Iowa - a good place to find Sabbath freedom.