PJ’s Page –
At the end of this month, on January 31st we will enjoy a day of saying “goodbye for now” and “hello for now” as we worship together for the final time before my sabbatical leave. During our worship service, we will welcome Pastor Paul Hoffman as your Sabbatical Interim Pastor and say farewell to me, for four months. Pastor Hoffman brings many gifts in this role and wears many hats in our synod. He is called by our synod as a teaching and writing pastor; you will be mutually blessed in your time together.
Preparing and planning for Sabbatical leave is a task filled with mixed emotions. I am excited to have the chance to visit a couple of worshipping communities whose worship is centered entirely at the table.
At St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, they have a food bank that distributes food from the altar. It is a visible symbol of the way God’s people are fed. They also dance their way to the altar for the Eucharist in an ancient patterned dance each Sunday. Check them out at www.stgregorys.org or on YouTube.
At St. Lydia’s Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, NY the community gathers for dinner church on Sunday and Monday evenings. Worship happens from that place, literally at the table. The children enjoy “waffle church” on Saturday mornings, where the stories of the faith are passed on to the wee ones. www.stlydias.org
In addition, Bruce and I will be in Europe, where we will explore the rich ways community is formed as people gather at various tables. Add in a cooking class and some time with family and you have a snapshot of what I’ll be doing in these four months away.
I will also post photos and write about my sabbatical journey on my blog, which is runningtotelltheothers.blogspot.com. If you want to travel along in this way, know that you are warmly welcomed.
Also know that you will remain in my daily prayers. I would be glad for yours as well. However, all pastoral tasks will be directed to Pastor Hoffman. I will not be checking or answering emails at all. I will be very careful on social media to remember that I’m not acting as your pastor during this time as well. (Contact information for Pastor Hoffman as well as details about his schedule, etc. will be in the February Messenger.)
The purpose of this sabbatical grant is for clergy renewal. Being a pastor is a great privilege and joy. It also comes with holy responsibilities and burdens. The Lilly Foundation recognizes that a time apart can bring renewal for both pastor and congregation. That’s why some of the funds are directed for use by the congregation: to pay for the Sabbatical Interim pastor and to fund congregational activities while I am away. Watch for details about those activities from your Sabbatical Celebration Planners.
I also want to acknowledge in this edition of the Messenger, that Paul and Karen Olsen have resigned their positions as Choir Director and Treasurer and have been removed from the membership register at LMLC. Their resignations were accepted with regret, their leave taking with sadness. But the reality is, that in any community, we will let one another down. My hope is that when we do that, we will find grace in our decisions to stay or go. Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber of House for All Sinners and Saints Lutheran Church in Denver says it this way:
“It’s my practice to welcome new people to the church by making sure they know that House for All Sinners and Saints will, at some point, let them down. That I will say or do something stupid and disappoint them. And then I encourage them to decide before that happens if they will stick around after it happens. If they leave, I tell them, they will miss the way that God’s grace comes in and fills in the cracks left behind by our brokenness. And that’s too beautiful to miss. “
Nadia Bolz-Weber; Accidental Saints; Chapter 18
Being the people of God together almost certainly means that we will let one another down, that we will disappoint one another, that we will have gaps in communication, understanding, and perception. But it also means that we are bound together by something that is so big and so wide that we can hardly comprehend it: the immeasurable grace, mercy, and love of God in Jesus Christ.
It is that bond that ties us together and shapes us into this community of faith.
With deep gratitude,
PJ+