Twenty-five years ago this spring, I entered fulltime ministry. During that time, I’ve been blessed to have quite a few breaks for study and sermon preparation.
But this morning it was announced that I have a sabbatical. An actual sabbatical — a chunk of time for refreshment, restoration, and renewal.
For 25 years I’ve written, preached, taught, edited, traveled, and blogged. Now I’m going to be silent and listen. I’m going to seek God with all my heart.
It’s not that I think I deserve this. I just receive it as a gift.
Here are some wonderful words from Mark Buchanan when he was given a sabbatical from his church after 15 years:
“But I feel deeply obliged to the people in my church who have allowed me [the sabbatical]. Obliged, not to come back smarter, or thinner, or more eloquent, or more studied up, though all that could help. The obligation I feel is not to pay them back. These things don’t work that way, on some barter system where the church trades several months of leave in exchange for shorter, pithier sermons. The obligation I feel, rather, is to come back restored.”
I will return to preaching on March 23. Easter morning.
Here is the prayer David Wray wrote for this morning:
Gracious Father,
You are the creator of heaven and earth. You are the designer of seasons, night and day, work and rest.
Father we confess how easy it is to forget your sacred rhythms. We often find ourselves living frantic lives, and we become overly and dangerously tired. Father we all seek rest. We seek solitude and silence with you. We seek Sabbath.
We hold Mike up to you this morning for your anointing. As he enters this time of renewal and rest, we pray that you will draw him closer to your heart. Our prayer is that you will renew him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. All of us in this church family love him deeply and we commit to pray constantly for him as he prepares to lead this spiritual body into your future.
It is through the powerful name of Jesus that we pray.
Amen.
I think that’s awesome that your church supports you in this! Taking time to reflect and study is very biblical, but it’s a shame that most Americans do not realize that.
Love you, buddy.
The above comment was from Josh, not Kayci. She doesn’t refer to you as “buddy.”
May you hear his voice and even if you don’t just be still.
Amen to David’s thoughtful prayer. And thank you for the ways you allow God to speak through you, even in your silence. Enjoy your time with Him.
Well deserved sabbatical! I love your choice of “silence” as your word for 2008. When I am silent, I can hear the Lord speak to my heart. Kathryn
After David’s prayer this morning, tears fell; tears for you and your good judgment….for accepting the sabbatical, and tears that we at Highland are so intense a church family, draining you far more than possibly other families would. We simply love you, learn from you and expect new words from you each and every sermon. Forgive us for our demands on you, Mike.
Seriously, God has so blessed us with your “gift of preaching” - may you be able to continue with us for many, many more years to come following this brief intermission.
May this short time of sabbatical be one of true refreshment and rest in the silence you so crave. I’ll be praying for you, especially in February. Also, will be praying for Diane and Chris.
How wonderful! I pray the time will be all you want and need it to be.
May you find peace, quiet and rest in God Almighty. What a wonderful gift.
May you crawl into the arms of the Lord and let Him love on you for awile. Also, may you just be Mike for awile and not Preacher Mike.
Mike,
Your not going to blog?
Mike, I hope the sabbatical is all that you need it to be. Hugs from across the pond.
Steve and I wish you the best.
So glad for you, & what a precious prayer in your behalf. “Kathy” said it well. Those of us outside of Highland expect so much from you too. Because we always receive it, we think it is all so easy for you. Down deep we know you must be frazzled trying to meet all the expectations, but please know you are a treasure of God’s Kingdom, & I’ve always felt blessed being on this earth at the same time God put you here.
What a great gift. Rest, enjoy, seek; repeat.
I’m not sure where this impulse came from, so do with it what you will. But the drama of Resurrection Day being what it is, not only liturgically but in the sheer number of people who will be in the auditorium on that day, it will be exceedingly difficult to ensure that the day does not become all about Mike Cope’s return (i. e., instead of Jesus’).
Back in the day, it was considered a high honor (heaven only knows why) to get to be the song leader at the A&M church in College Station on the Sunday evening before the fall semester began. All of the students were back in town, the atmosphere was electric, and the singing was nearly deafening. One guy insisted on being that guy every year, no matter what the rotation would have been. What a witness of humility it would have been for him to step down quietly, before the fact, and offer that honor to one of the “least of these…” Just a thought FWIW.
All the best to you and Diane for the next 10 weeks or so.
qb
This is truly a great gift that few have received. Also, I liked the thoughts of this not being a trade off. You will be in my prayers.
http://www.matthewsblog.waynesborochurchofchrist.org
God bless your rest Mike.
i hope you don’t blog…we will miss you, but you need the break.
As much as I hate it, I agree with Aaron. Rest up and we will check back in after Easter…unless you get bored and just want to blog…
Mike,
Good for the elders to give you this sabbatical. Besides not blogging as suggested above–turn off your cell phone!
Numbers 6:24-26
David D.
additional observation:
Fruit trees each year go dormant during the winter and without that dormant period they would not produce fruit the next year. That is also true of many plants–so enjoy this time of outward activity while the inside is being renewed.
David D.
God bless you Brother. Rest. May the peace of fill your heart and life. Rest. Listen. Reflect. Rest.
BLOG
Thank you for all of your words. May you find peace and restoration in your silent time.
I have heard you speak a couple of times, even though I live in Saskatoon, because my daughter and her family live in Abilene. You may have already come across a book called “Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up” by David Bercot. We are using it in a small group study and it is thrilling and challenging.
Have a hug from Canada and may God bless you and your ministry during and after your Sabbath rest.
I check out this blog almost every day, right after I check on the Red Raiders on Rivals.com, so I am more than aware of the thoughtfulness and kindness and most importantly the power of the readers to pray for those in need. With that in mind, I am going to hijack this blog for an urgent request, with Mike’s permission (I hope!)
A member of Highland, Josh Patterson, was shot on late Saturday night in a hunting accident. He is in Lubbock and is expected to undergo surgery today. Pray for him, pray for the doctors working on him, pray for the family, but most of all pray for the young boy who accidently did this. He may be struggling more than anyone.
Sorry to break in like this, but I just had to make this request. I hope Mike does not mind.
CS
goobasigbulp
I recently heard a reversal of an old saying, “Just sit there, don’t do something!” (I think it was a sermon title, but that is neither here nor there.) There are certainly many times when we need to just sit there with God. Let Him do the talking and working. I pray that you have many opportunities to listen.
Leland V
You’ll get bored. Blog.
Yo preacher mike,
Let me join the chorus of well-wishers breaking the silence of your sabbatical!
Fond memories of a time when the wonderful Highland church granted me a sabbatical some years into my ministry there. I am praying that you don’t make the mistake I made. I took a break from highland church stuff alright. But I crammed time intended for reflection and rest and renewal with near frenetic activity.
Hopefully you are wiser and more centered than I was at that season of life.
Can’t overstate how much I love you and respect not only your enourmous gifts and enviable discipline - but the deep rich quality of your character and heart - ‘clean through to the bone.’
My prayer is: “Oh Adonai, During Mikes weeks ‘off’ may he indeed find rich golden days of silence, reflection and renewal. Keep him still enough to hear your whisper. And when he returns, Oh Lord, please bless my beloved family, the Highland church, with a man glowing like a messenger fresh from the throne room. Amen”
Lynn
Mike, we prayed similar prayers to David Wray’s for you in the prayer room this Monday–one of my friends said her past week after Christmas busy-ness felt like “warm syrup” and I pray for such a comfort-feeling for you, as you unlearn doing and pushing schedules, and re-learn being…just being in the presence of GOD. I’m working on that myself; am not good at it, but deeply long for it.
another good article about resting. . .
http://www.informz.net/pfm/archives/archive_544121.html
I must weigh-in on the to-blog-or-not-to-blog exhortations… If, in your time of silence, the Father, Son, or Spirit speaks to your heart in any way that is more than purely personal, please share, please, please share. And perhaps your readers might share a time when they were unmistakably opened up to an awareness of God’s presence.
Wow! I know why I love the Highland church. I love the willingness to let go…to let go to let the Spirit guide you deeper and deeper. I was worried when they first started the blessing but by the end I felt relief….for us and for you. You have been leading us to the deep places and for that I am so thankful. Rest and have some fun. Be outside. Sleep in…I know that is hard for you but you should try it sometime. Be like a child on summer vacation…no shoes, imagination….maybe even have a popsicle or two. You once told me that I was salt and light and now I am saying it back to you. Mike Cope, you are salt and light.
Mike, I have been blessed by your words through the years and I am so grateful to hear the recognition of a time of rest. May God grant you all that you need, we know He will, may you hear His voice.
Maybe I missed it somewhere,but who is taking Mike’s place? For those of us not out there in the “Promised Land of the West”,please give us some info.Thanks!