On Revelation and Rest

Several months ago, a Mormon colleague of mine was telling me about the work that he and his wife do with young adults in their religious community. He was clearly enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve, and he began to tell me about one particular gathering he had recently facilitated. "I shared with them my surefire method for receiving a revelation!" he exclaimed. "It's very simple, and it never fails. All you have to do is answer three questions..." By this point, I admit, I had begun to tune out. Words like "surefire" and "never-fail" send my mind into used-car-salesperson territory.  And to be honest, the word "revelation" also made me a bit skeptical. But, I listened politely just the same. He continued: "Just go with the first thing that comes into your mind when answering these questions. 1) What do I need to stop doing? 2) What do I need to start doing? 3) Who needs my help?

I'll be honest - the questions greatly moved me. I liked that instinct was given an important place in the process of revelation, as I strongly feel that this is one of the ways God works in and through us (instinct, gut feeling, sixth sense, nudging of the Spirit, whatever you wish to call it). But I also greatly appreciated the order of the questions. For me, it is highly significant that the first question invites us to give up rather than to take on. It is a common symptom of shrinking mainline Protestant churches that a small number of people end up taking on the majority of the work, resulting in serious burnout. And still, when considering strategies to revive and refresh the church (bearing in mind that the church is a people...), much of the language centers on doing more, being more, adding more programming, attracting more people. In other words, adding more stress and strain to already overburdened lives. But if we're already at full capacity, we can't begin to think of taking on more unless we release some things first. We can't nurture properly unless we ourselves are being nurtured.

And the spiritual practice that speaks directly to this predicament is that of Sabbath. Are there areas of your life and ministry that need a rest? Are there tired ministries within our congregation that need a sabbatical? It may seem counterintuitive in this age of productivity to encourage people to stop what they're doing, or to step away from ministries that have potential to help and heal. But even God rested on the seventh day... and there are plenty of biblical mandates about letting fields lie fallow after a time, giving the land time and space to simply be for a while. Sabbath is not about doing nothing. And to rest from our labors is not a sign of weakness or failure. It is a serious (and sometimes difficult) discipline that can bring balance to our lives, thatshifts us away from speaking and giving and creating... toward listening and receiving and standing in reverent awe. It paradoxically shifts our focus away from ourselves and our own abilities toward God, the ultimate life source on which we depend. And so my prayer is that we might be a Sabbath people... for we cannot live lives of faithful discipleship otherwise.