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Sabbatical Report * Pastor Keith Ruehlow * January- March, 2004
"
Jesus ordered (his disciples) not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the
promise of the Father... (He said to them) you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:4,8)
These are the last words Jesus offers his disciples before ascending
up into heaven out of their sight. They conclude important days
spent with the disciples
after his death and resurrection. Jesus' last directions to his friends were
quite specific - wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit! And when
that gift in a mighty rush of wind at Pentecost filled the room and their lives,
the disciples came alive in a new way. They were empowered for mission and
ministry in unforeseen ways!
I have found great excitement in the stories of these disciples from the Book
of Acts this Easter. The Holy Spirit moved them from locked and closed doors
out into lives of proclaiming the good news of their Risen Lord. The Spirit
gave them new power to heal and cast out unclean spirits. The Spirit gave them
new
courage to teach despite all efforts by the authorities to silence them. The
breath of God blew into the disciples' lives and they became leaders and not
just followers.
As I have reflected on my recently completed sabbatical time, I believe that
God put me into a place where the Holy Spirit could breathe new life into my
life and ministry. Just as the apostles in the early days of the church brought
a new passion into their work of spreading the good news of the Gospel, so
I believe I have returned after 3 months away with a renewed sense of call
and
purpose.
A Quick Review of Sabbatical Objectives:
These were the goals I set
for myself in preparing for the sabbatical time.
Personal Spiritual Renewal - Practicing "tools of discipleship",
experiencing worship "from the pew", time in retreat,
reading on the topic of spiritual growth
Professional Renewal - Examining the topic of Small Group
Ministry, explore
what other congregations are doing for contemporary worship, computer training
Sabbath Rest & Renewal - Time away for and with family, personal
reading, time for cross-country skiing and racquetball
A Grace-Filled Time Away...
I can describe my time in sabbatical in the following 5 ways:
- Worship
Opportunities:
I had the chance to worship in 10 different churches
during the sabbatical.
They included the following: Normandale Lutheran Church- Twin Cities,
Chapel of the
Incarnation-Luther Seminary, Salem Lutheran-Shell Lake, Central & Our
Savior's Lutheran-Chippewa Falls, First Lutheran-Cumberland, St.
John's-Bloomer, Zoar
Lutheran-Tofte, MN, Bethlehem Lutheran-Grand Marais, MN and First
Lutheran-Baron.
These were both large and small congregations in a variety of settings
rural and urban. Worshipping "from the pew" was a great
chance to experience what other congregations are doing. I was
especially interested in other congregation's
alternative worship services. It was interesting to note how several
churches were utilizing technology in their services with big screens
for music and/or
sermon visuals. I also tried to pay attention to how welcome I
felt there.
What really struck me in my visits was how each congregation
was doing worship in a way which fit their setting and gifts.
There is no one way which makes
it right!!
- Study/Growth Opportunities:
During sabbatical I had the chance to participate in the following
events:
- Luther Seminary Convocation (January 7-9 "Living Out Our Callings
at Home"
This was a chance to hear speakers and participate in workshops
focusing on how faith is lived out in the everyday setting of
our home and
families.
- Luther
Seminary Kairos (Jan 26-30
"Enneagram: For Personal Spiritual Growth and
Improved Interpersonal Relationships" This was a seminar that introduced
me to a new way of exploring the gifts God has given us and the ways we are
called to live them out. Time was spent on how our strengths influence our
style of leadership
- ARC Retreat Center - Stanchfield, Minnesota Time for prayer,
devotion, silence, reflection
- Alban Institute (Feb. 17-20 "Spirituality
of Leadership: Leading from Within" I ventured out
to Danville, California for this continuing education event.
It was a great
four days in conversation
with other clergy from a great variety of faith traditions. I
was the sole Lutheran.
- Valuable Reading Time:
During sabbatical I was able to spend a great deal of time in
reading especially in the area of faith practices
and Small Group Ministry. The book I read to
begin my time away and actually reread at the end was called "A
Graceful Life - Lutheran Spirituality for Today." It was a wonderful reminder of
the gifts, of what author Bradley Hanson calls, a Lutheran Spirituality. He
concludes his book in the following way: "Healthy Lutheran spirituality
is a way of life full of God's overflowing grace. Being grounded in that generous
divine love makes it possible for us to move gracefully through the joys and
sorrows of life." (p. 188)
My sabbatical reading also included a more intentional
time for devotional reading of scripture. It was good to have extended
time to read the Bible not for sermon or teaching preparation, but
for my own deepening
of faith. I especially utilized the resource of the Moravian Daily
Texts.
- Family Time: An important part of my sabbatical time
away was to be able to
spend more time with my family. This included some trips with the
girls and time away with Lisa. I was able to enjoy a true weekend in
a way that a pastor's
family most times can't. I enjoyed being able to pick up Sarah
and Anna from school and experience some of their busy after school
lives involving things
like piano lessons and Tae Kwan Do. I enjoyed being what I called
a "Kinship
Dad." These first months of the year involved extra time away
for Lisa in her role as the Chetek Kinship Director. I was able
to be at
home and take
up the slack.
- Other Sabbatical Opportunities
• Library Work - After Lisa's father retired from frill-time ministry last
year he donated a good share of his library to me. Sabbatical allowed
me the time
to sort through this great gift.
• Court-time with Father Gerard - An unexpected privilege was to get to
know Father Gerard in a better way before he left St. Boniface
in Chetek for his
new parish in Medford. We spent some strenuous hours on the racquetball
court taking out our frustrations! He beat me most of the time!
• Gift of time to read for pleasure - Not only did I have the time to read
professionally but I also had a great chance to read for fun, and
not feel guilty about it!
Closing Thoughts: I have returned to Chetek Lutheran
renewed! It feels good to be back! I come back with a sense of how important
it is to maintain a
healthy balance between church, family and myself. I come
back
with a renewed appreciation
for the grace which we as Lutherans hold up as the life-blood
of our relationship with God. I come back wanting to continue finding
time for
the daily reading
of scripture and prayer, these "tools of discipleship" through
which the Spirit brings us new life. I come back anxious
to help shape opportunities
for members of Chetek Lutheran to come together in small
groups and grow in faith. Thank you for giving me this opportunity!
It
was truly
a grace-filled
time away! A special thanks as well to all who took up additional
tasks of
ministry while I was gone. God's Spirit will continue to
blow through us all!
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