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A little time away

DONNA TOURNEUR Rev. Donna Tourneur ministers among the people of Trinity United Church in New Glasgow.

In little old Pictou County, it is hard for us to imagine a way of life that necessitates a 90-minute commute to work, adding three hours to the average work day.

The commute often involves several modes of transportation, but invariably it also includes some down time, when someone else is at the wheel. People who get used to travelling this way often look forward to that commuter time to read or sleep, or listen to a podcast, offering a transition from work to home life. It turns out that we need that time. An old friend once said to me that as a minister you should take a sabbath rest for an hour a day, a day a week, a few days once a month and a few weeks every year. I agree, even if it is easier said than done. Without it, one loses perspective and ceases to have the ability to be present for the important things in life.

Jesus understood this all too well. Last week, the gospel story from Mark included the feeding of the 5,000 as part of a larger story of healing, preaching, commissioning and getting away from it all. Jesus had tried to get his disciples to join him for a little rest by crossing the lake and heading to a secluded place. Before they got to their destination, the crowds pressed in on them, seizing the opportunity for their own healing. A similar story is captured by John, the gospel writer, with a slightly different twist. Both stories include the disciples in a boat, crossing from one side of the lake to the other. I hadn’t thought about this as a commute until in a little conversation group we identified how difficult it is to actually get away. Here, even Jesus and his disciples and their best intentions didn’t make it to the desperately needed retreat time.

This year, many people are finding ways to make time for a break. Our habit of expecting things to pick up in September will be amplified this year. So many organizations have put their gatherings and volunteer work on hold as we necessarily dealt with the reality of COVID -19 in our province. Although working from home feels like it ought to offer a break, many have found that the lack of separation between work and home meant that there never was time to decompress.

This summer it may be more important than ever to take our time away. Refresh and regroup, because the work of catching up from the COVID interlude will be difficult. I expect it will take the rest of my ministry to rebuild what we have lost in the disconnection of the past year and a half. All that while the crowd keeps pressing in, or so it seems. We have healing to be a part of, and people to feed. We have the homeless to attend to and the isolated to welcome, and we are out of practice. Battered by the storms of today and the ghosts of the past, our work may never have been so vital.

Following the advice of my old friend and the lead of Jesus so long ago, I will try to detach for a few weeks. I hope you do to, because a faith for today demands that we be present to those who continue to yearn for the loving, healing touch of Jesus. Inviting a dwelling place for the spirit of God is still the work of communities of faith, and that is important work. Thanks be to God that we are not doing it alone.

New Glasgow News

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2021-07-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://saltwire.pressreader.com/article/281711207670638

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