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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
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June 2005 |
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'I know it's your day off, but . . .'These are words to evoke emotions in clergy ranging
from anger to a wry smile and a sigh. Whatever day of the week it is, there is always someone who just needs the key to the hall, or must have Mrs Smith's phone number, or is engaged in some equally vital mission on which, apparently, depends the entire survival of the kingdom of God. So those words to bring terror to the ordained heart: 'I know it's your day off, but.' The problem is worse, of course for clergy who reside next to the church, among the last of those who 'live above the shop'. It's the same for country police officers and, for all I know, there are still firefighters who slide down brass poles in their pyjamas, but they're an endangered species. Most clergy work long hours and are really on call around the clock. They need time for themselves and their families. We need to respect the sanctity of the day off, in the spirit of Sabbath rest. The idea of Sabbath, of a day of rest, is as much a preventative health measure as anything else. Lay people, as much as clergy, need to rediscover its value in their lives.
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