Thank you!
The saying goes that you can’t say “thank you” too often, and that’s what it feels like to me about my sabbatical. I have tried to make a point of thanking you, my Hope Church congregation, before, during, and after my sabbatical this past Fall, for the simple reason that I truly am grateful!
The sabbatical was a marvelous gift of time and space for me to explore, learn, rejuvenate, and enjoy, and throughout that time I was always aware of what a rare opportunity it was. Your generosity as a congregation in providing that time is something that many people who I talk to beyond Hope Church respond to with admiration: ‘Wow! – your congregation does that for you? That’s amazing.’ And I agree. So, as I was saying:
Thank you!
As I think about how to describe what I did on my sabbatical (which could sound like an obligatory “What I Did On My Summer Vacation” elementary school assignment), I realize it’s a bit of a challenge to do. There is the obvious list of reading that I did, working through a dozen or so theology texts by theologians Rene Girard and James Alison; the language study I started on as I began to learn Spanish, which was both fun and humbling; the travel I did, going to France with my wife Anne to explore some research possibilities for her and visiting our daughter Anna who is in graduate school in Paris; and a much enjoyed season of slower pace for family life including breakfast together on Sunday and no meetings in the evenings! And as important as all those specifics are, it is many of the intangibles that I am reflecting on and greatly appreciating.
Having the space to read, think, and explore in an extended “chunk” of time that the daily work of being a pastor does not often afford, was a wonderful spark for my theological, creative, spiritual life. Exploring new answers to old questions and old answers to new questions, finding surprising insights and wrestling with unexpected wonderings as I consider what I believe and who I am called to be, being amazed by the remarkable wisdom God has given to others for me to benefit from while also being affirmed in the gifts and passions I have to explore and express – these are all things that have been cultivated in me during this time.
And what those intangibles mean for me is that I would like to think that it is not only generous of this congregation to grant sabbatical time to its Pastors, but also wise. Wise because you are a congregation that I can bring those sabbatical experiences back to and see what sort of life-giving sparks it connects to in you personally and as a church body as we discern God’s call to faithful and fruitful ways of ministry.
But despite this effort at eloquence about my sabbatical, there are those practical minds among you that still might be asking: “Fine, but what did you do?!” And for such and all inquiring minds and hearts, please stay tuned for an Adult Ed series during Lent (March 16-April 13) that Curtis Gruenler (Hope College English Professor and Hope Church Elder) and I will be leading that will explore the theology of Rene Girard and James Alison. And if you want a little teaser for that, here are a few thoughts for you to play around with until then:
- think about sin as less about defect and more about bondage
- think about atonement as less about transaction and more about liberation
- think about faith as less about believing in God and more about undergoing God
- think about life as less about being good and more about being yourself.
More about all that in March (and probably in a few sermons along the way!).
Oh, and did I mention:
Thank you!
Peace,
Pastor Gordon