Weekly Clergy Letter From Mother Anne Turner

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

During the pandemic, I was working for a church that held worship over Zoom.  I preached from my office desk; over my laptop was a window looking out to our front yard.  Early one Sunday morning, I glanced up from the screen in the middle of preaching to see a delivery person drop off a package.  I had ordered it the night before, asking for overnight delivery without even realizing what I had done.

 

Something felt so broken in that moment.  The world will always have shift workers, of course.  But it need not have ceaseless commerce and unremitting labor.  I was trying that morning through worship to create a sacred time apart; without intending to, I had undermined the refuge of sabbath.

 

We talk about keeping sabbath as a way of regulating our own lives.  Old Testament scholars tell us that we might also talk about giving sabbath—leading our lives in a way that enables others experience God’s abundance and compassion, too.  When the bible speaks about the promised land, it talks about a society of justice, shared responsibility, and large-scale compassion.

 

This weekend, we observe Labor Day.  Most of us think of this holiday as the end of summer, perhaps a last day for the beach or a barbeque.  But it is also a time when we think about our common life—how (or whether) we structure our habits and routines in a way that benefits all levels of society.

 

I hope you use this weekend for rest.  And I hope you think about how that rest can shared amidst a society of tired people, of workers who are stretched thin.

 

Perhaps you can pray this prayer from our prayer book:

 

Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

Yours in Christ,

Anne+