Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.  (Genesis 2: 1,2) 

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  (Mark 6:31)

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.  (Gershwin “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess)

Yesterday, I was sitting out on my back deck wearing what my family has dubbed “daytime jammies”, meaning an oversized t-shirt and leggings.  I was working on my sermon by the side of the pool; a glass of lemonade on hand and a bowl of strawberries on the table beside my computer.   Gabby, my dog, was wandering the backyard sniffing everything and getting spooked by the neighbourhood squirrels – the squirrels are pretty much her size, and now that she’s getting on in years and can’t see the way she used to, I think that, to her,  the squirrels are just freaky black things that run really fast. 

It all felt pretty civilized and somehow decadent,  you know, comfy clothes, lawn chairs by the pool side, strawberries and lemonade, and the dog sniffing around contentedly.  I got a whole lot of my sermon written and was feeling pretty good about things, until,

Well, some feelings of guilt started creeping in to the corners of my mind. 

Because, after all, work is called WORK after all.  It should be somehow difficult.  It shouldn’t be this much fun.  I’m somehow ripping off the church and God’s call on my life if I’m enjoying myself and not laying open an artery so that the world can be Saved.  So, I hauled myself out of my lawn chair, put on some civilized clothes, drove up to the church, and worked in the office at the church. 

None of you knew I was there except Bob Klatt who was supervising the person painting the church.  And Bob just merrily waved at me as I went in.  We had no other interaction. 

I got my sermon done, got the funeral finished that I’m doing this weekend, and returned a whole lot of phone calls.  Then got back in my car, drove back to Brockville, changed back into my daytime jammies and sat back out on the back deck; with my computer and the dog. 

And then realized the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

Because, I know all of you, my Bethel friends.  I know that you see me as ‘over working’ rather than slacking off.  You all are trying to get me to take days off when I put in extra hours; and I’m the one pushing back and continuing to just ‘plow through’ when extra things like funerals or phone calls encroach into my Sabbath. 

But I have so much embedded guilt around work days and the messages around what it means to faithfully minister to the church that I have an incredible difficulty taking a Sabbath; taking time to look around and enjoy (and be grateful for) the gifts around me. 

I read recently that over working, or workaholism, is the only socially sanctioned addiction there is.  And you know, when you get clergy together, its pretty normal to hear them ‘one-upping’ each other about how busy they are; how many funerals they do; how much pastoral care they have and so on.  So in clergy circles, workaholism is not only socially sanctioned, but it has become the accepted and expected norm.  “Good” ministers are there for all people all the time.  “Good” ministers do all the things that are needing done. 

And then we are surprised that clergy burn out and leave ministry. 

I’m not entirely sure that I’m addicted to working.  I think that what I’m addicted to is avoiding guilt.  Avoiding guilt and avoiding judgement of my peers.  But, in all honesty, I don’t for a moment believe that Ministry is the only profession that is going down this trail of guilt and judgement.  When you ask many people how they are doing, the expected and accepted response to this question is ‘busy’.  Everyone is busy.  Busy-ness has been elevated to the place of Godliness. 

So, I’m hoping that all of you will help me turn this narrative around, and see that this turning of busy-ness into a ‘moral’ is not what God wants for any of us.  God wants us to do ‘work’, but God also wants us to rest.  Because ‘rest’ is the place of hospitality.  ‘Rest’ is the place where we can look around and call Creation ‘good’. 

And, truthfully, I don’t believe for a moment that God wants us to burn out.  So, we need to let God be what is ‘Godliness’, and let go of the things we have elevated to being next to God. 

So, I’m going to post this blog on the ‘timer’ so that it goes out on Friday- and you can find me out on my deck, in my daytime jammies, eating strawberries and drinking lemonade.  Because I think God honours this.  You can join me if you want.  Just don’t ask me to work.

Blessings today and remember you are Loved.

~Rev. Lynne