Bishop’s Message, March 2023

I have just come back from three months of sabbath leave. It was a wonderful time for rest, reading and reflection. I confess that I felt a bit lost without a regular schedule to follow and a role to fill.  Friends of mine have used sabbaticals to further their education or write a book. This was not that kind of sabbatical. Rather than working on a list of things I wanted to accomplish and had been too busy to do while working, I spent time thinking about what God had in mind when God rested on the seventh day – and what God intends for us when we observe the Sabbath. I found myself focusing on the beauty of Creation and joining with God in admiring it while I rested. Naturally I took a lot of photos!  And I spent some time relaxing with and enjoying loved ones.

Eventually I began to reflect on who I am in Christ, as a child of God, a beloved person who is part of God’s Creation. I even thought about the way God took delight in all that God had made—and that I am part of that. It was a time to reconnect with the One who had called me and loved me and saved me and it was very good!

Lent is the annual occasion for us all to focus on what we need to pay attention to in our faith journey just as I did on my sabbatical. We make space so that we can be present to God and God’s purposes: God’s purposes for us, for our life in Christ, for our relationship with our neighbour, and for the environment. To slow down and worship God, and not just tick the boxes of expectations. Part of entering into Lent or Sabbath time is getting into a headspace of praise and thanks and trust in our place in God’s purposes. Two books that helped me in my reflections are “Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight” by Norman Wirzba, and “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Thank you for your prayers for me while I was on Sabbath leave. I pray that you will have a holy and renewing Lent.