"Have a break, have a…"

If you remember the advert, the obvious words to go in at the end of the heading to this letter are ‘Kit-Kat’. I wonder, in passing, how many of us actually ever did have Kit-Kats in our breaks? But whatever we have - maybe just a cuppa, or a little afternoon nap – we probably all recognise the need for a break during the day. Much as we’d sometimes like to, we just can’t keep going non-stop, can we? We can try – and sometimes we have to if we’re really busy. Maybe we’re baby sitting for our grandchildren, or travelling to meetings, or trying to juggle shopping with work and child-care. But if we try going non-stop for too many consecutive days, we get exhausted. Our bodies, and, I suggest, our minds, simply run out of steam. We may get headaches, feel sick or become irritable. Everything inside screams ‘Stop!’

That’s the principle behind having a day off each week – the Sabbath. The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew meaning ‘cease’ or ‘rest’. It was introduced in the Old Testament both as a day to celebrate God’s goodness – a day of worship, when the Israelites remembered how they were set free from slavery, and also as a day to rest from work, recollecting how God rested after his work of creation. So the Sabbath is about imitating God. Interestingly, in Exodus 31:17, Sabbath observance is backed by the amazing statement that the Lord paused ‘to get his breath back’! It’s about change – a change for the normal daily routine to refocus – on God, on leisure – things that provide a counter-balance to our usual occupation. Even the land was to be left fallow every seventh year – to have a ‘sabbatical’ - to recharge its batteries.

Our lives today are busy. I am quite strict about having a day off each week (usually Thursday or Friday). I don’t do any work on my ‘sabbath’. If the phone rings, I don’t respond (but do leave a message and I will usually get back to you the next day!) We all need space in our lives for change, re-creation, relaxation. Some of you will know that the Team Rector, Chris Boulton, is shortly going to have an extended ‘Sabbath’ – a 3-month sabbatical. All clergy are encouraged by their bishop to take an extended break after several years of work that is often emotionally and spiritually draining. Chris will be spending some time in Africa ‘extending his horizons’, as he puts it. He’ll be experiencing new cultures, seeing how the church works in other very different countries. His absence will mean that his work will be spread to me and other clergy who will be helping out particularly on Sundays. But I hope we can pray and support him, that he might come back refreshed and renewed. Maybe we too can think about our Sabbaths – whether one day or longer – and how we use them. Let’s hope and pray that we will make time to ‘have a break’.

With my prayers, Jeanette