Sabbatical 2025
Good morning!
I know that you were all looking forward to Acts six but that’s going to have to wait another week. This morning instead I’d like you to turn to 1 Kings 18, page 300 in the pew Bibles.
We are going to pick up in the middle of an account of the work of the prophet Elijah.
Let’s pray.
Some of you may be familiar with this account. Elijah had just defeated and killed 450 pagan prophets of the false god Baal that served king Ahab and his wife Jezebel. He challenged the prophets of Baal to offer a sacrifice to Baal and he would also offer a sacrifice to the Lord and the God who answered by fire would be the winner.
The prophets of Baal got their pick of the two bulls, built their altar, stacked up the wood and prayed to their god to light the fire. Obviously their false god didn’t.
Elijah then built his altar and dug a trench around it and had his offering soaked with water three times until the water filled the trench and then he prayed and asked the Lord to light the fire.
1 Kings 18:36-40 says,
36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.
But it isn’t this great success that I want to draw your attention to today, it’s what happens after in chapter 19:1-18.
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
After what could loosely be called a great success Elijah was afraid, discouraged, and exhausted, so he ran off into the wilderness and God met him there. The Lord had more work for him to do but He knew that Elijah needed rest and rejuvenation in order to do it.
As many of you know CrossRoads Church is a fairly new work here in Ossipee, we were replanted after the closing of Ossipee Valley Bible Church in September of 2012.
When we met for the last time as Ossipee Valley Bible Church we voted to close that church and form CrossRoads Church in its place, only the building and the phone number stayed the same.
When we started fresh we adopted a whole new set of guidelines that has shaped who we are and how we are as a family. No more official board or congregational votes, instead the shepherding and oversight of our church family was entrusted to the elders assisted by deacons like we talked about last week.
We wanted to align ourselves as a church family as closely as possible to the church we see in the New Testament and do our best to live out our lives together as a family as we sought to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ.
There are copies of our foundational document, or articles, it doesn’t really have a name, there are copies available to anyone that would like one.
Most of the things written in that document are at work here in the midst of our church family whether you are really aware of it or not, but there is one item in there that I think will be very noticeable when its turn comes around and that is what I wanted to bring to your attention this morning.
That item is the “Pastoral Sabbatical.”
I’d like to read that item for you.
1d: Pastoral Sabbatical The Preaching Elder (Pastor) shall be eligible for a three month (90 day) sabbatical after the completion of every 5 to 7 years of ministry. At the Pastor’s discretion and sense of need, the timing of such sabbatical shall be at the completion of every fifth year. A sabbatical becomes mandatory at the end of the seventh year if a sabbatical has not been requested after the completion of the fifth year. Full pay and benefits will be provided during the Pastor’s sabbatical. The council of elders may decide to cover any additional sabbatical-related expenses to provide the pastor with opportunities for personal enrichment (i.e. seminars, conferences, travel, etc.).
Easter Sunday marked the completion of thirteen years of pastoral ministry for me here at CrossRoads.
I took a sabbatical the summer of 2019 after seven years of ministry, that was six years ago. So guess what…
Six years ago I went on sabbatical kicking and screaming. I didn’t want to do it, but at the seven year mark I didn’t have a choice. And though I didn’t think I needed it at the time, it was still a good thing for me, my family, and for our church family.
This time… I really need it. I’m cooked.
So, at the advice of the Elders and my counselor, I will be taking a sabbatical from approximately mid-August through mid-November. We’re still working on the exact dates.
I want to be very clear that a sabbatical is not a vacation, it will be three months of work for me and it is a work that I am not very good at. It is the work of rest. There will be some time away with my family, but there will also be some time away from my family, some time in desolate places to just be with the Lord, as well as regular meetings with a counselor which I have already begun.
The purpose is rejuvenation, retreating to the wilderness to rest and pray like Elijah did and as Jesus often did.
The elders will take care of the preaching duties whether preaching themselves or asking others to share the Word with the church family but I will not be here until the final few weeks of my time away.
My phone will be off, my email shut down, and messenger disabled.
The elders will be able to reach me in an emergency such as a death or major calamity in the church family but other than that I won’t be available.
Like last time, this will be a great opportunity for growth for our church family, opportunity for others to step up into ministry roles while I step back, opportunity for us all to be a little stretched and moved beyond our comfort zones. One of the great blessings last time was how many people stepped up to preach from within our church family with only a couple of Sundays having to be covered by those outside of our church.
Please understand, this is my comfort zone here, I don’t really want to leave! But I do know that it is best for me, for my family and for us all as a church family.
The Elders and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have either now or later. Please feel free to reach out to us so we can set any fears at ease or deal with any concerns you may have.
We must remember that Jesus is our Sabbath Rest. We no longer have to adhere to the works of the Law, we get to rest by trusting Him and His work on the cross.
The pattern of work and rest were established in creation when the Father rested on the seventh day, now we can rest by the finished work of Christ.
I pray for your grace and support as I follow this pattern myself for His glory and our good.
Amen.
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