Background

Having been granted a 3-month sabbatical by St. John’s congregation at its December 4, 2022 voters meeting, Pastor Meehan was blessed to enjoy this time away during June, July and August 2023. The purpose of the sabbatical, as defined in the proposal shared with the congregation in Fall 2022, contained the following components: 1) rest and renewal; 2) exploring the care and nurture of God’s creation with special focus on Celtic theology; and 3) experience the joy of worship in new settings. Per the sabbatical policy, which was revised by the Staff Care Team and approved by both the Church Council as well as the congregation at its June 5, 2022 voters meeting: “The [sabbatical] plan should include a final written and oral report to be presented to the congregation upon completion of the sabbatical.” This report is intended to fulfill that requirement.

Rest and Renewal

The primary purpose of a sabbatical, including that for church workers, is for rest and renewal. The ongoing tasks of ministry, on a daily, seasonal as well as annual basis, require effort and energy of body, mind and spirit. The last several years in which we have gone through the pandemic have changed many things in the life of the church, and church workers have had to adjust and shift to do ministry in new and different ways. To step away from these demands and seek to recharge is at the heart of a sabbatical.

My 3-month sabbatical coincided with the bookends of my wife, June’s, calling as a teacher. The previous school year did not end until June 16, and she had to be back at school preparing for the new school year starting on August 14. So the first several weeks as well as the last several weeks of the sabbatical were marked by these parameters. Now that we are empty nesters, it was a great blessing to have extended time to be together as a couple. We took time to ponder and reflect, discuss and pray about where God has called us in life to live and serve, as well as discerning what the next chapter in life will be. We also enjoyed having our four young adult daughters join us for a week in Ireland. We traveled by train and visited Dublin, Galway, the Aran Islands, Cliffs of Moher, Limerick, Cork, and Kinsale. That last place – Kinsale – is on the southern coast of Ireland and turned out to be our favorite spot. We have lots of wonderful memories (as well as photos!) of our summer travels.

I find rest and renewal in being outside, working in my yard and garden. This is therapeutic for me, giving a sense of accomplishment to see the fruit of your labors. Over the course of the sabbatical, I spent many enjoyable hours working in the good earth, tending plants and marveling at the beauty of what God has made. Trips to various nurseries and garden centers in the area helped to spark creativity and ideas for future projects. Working outside in the heat and humidity of summer made me understand anew the close connection that we have with the earth and soil; how dependent we are upon what comes from the earth and soil for our food. Even the word human is closely related to the word humus, the organic compound of soil formed by decaying plant matter through microorganisms. The Word of God to Adam is reminder to all of us: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for you are dust and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). On my hands and knees, working in the soil, reminds me of this reality, pointing me to another, greater reality; namely, that the curse of Adam which brought death into the world is not the final word. As plants die back in the fall only to rise up again in the spring, so we will do the same. The glorious truth is that in Christ, even when we die, yet shall we live (John 11:25).

Care and Nurture of God’s Creation

One of the goals of my sabbatical was to explore Celtic theology and its close connection with the wonder and beauty of God’s creation. To help me better understand this, during my sabbatical I watched a series of 24 video lectures entitled, “The Celtic World,” through The Great Courses (Online Courses & Lectures for Home Study and Lifelong Learning (thegreatcourses.com). The presenter was Dr. Jennifer Paxton, Director of the University Honors Program and Clinical Assistant Professor of History at The Catholic University of America. The video lectures included the following:

• Who Are the Celts?
• The Celts and the Classical World
• Celtic Art and Artifacts
• Celtic Languages in the Ancient World
• Caesar and the Gauls
• Celtic Religion and the Druids
• Celtic Britain and Roman Britain
• Celts and Picts in Scotland
• Prehistoric Ireland and the Celts
• Celtic Britain after Rome
• Brittany and Galicia: Fringe of the Fringe
• Celtic Churches
• Celtic Art and Insular Art
• Medieval Irish Literature
• Celtic Women, Families, and Social Structure
• The Irish Sea World: Celts and Vikings
• English Invasions of Wales and Ireland
• Scotland from Macbeth to Braveheart
• Politics and Literature in Wales
• The Tudor Conquest of Ireland
• (Re)Discovering the Celts
• The Gaelic Revival in Ireland
• Celtic Music and Dance
• The Celts Today

This was an informative and enjoyable excursion into the background of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, places that my wife, June, and I were privileged to visit during my sabbatical. For nearly a month, from June 25 through July 20, we explored the peoples and places of England, Scotland, and Ireland. We also visited Iceland for several days enroute and marveled at the rugged beauty of “the land of fire and ice.” We greatly enjoyed visiting a number of beautiful gardens while overseas, including the following: RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England (RHS Garden Harlow Carr | Events & attractions in Harrogate, Yorkshire / RHS Gardening); Crook Hall Gardens in Durham, England (Crook Hall Gardens | North East | National Trust); and Powerscourt Gardens in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland (Powerscourt Estate, House & Gardens). That last one – Powerscourt Gardens – was the crown jewel in our travels and we highly recommend a visit. We also highly recommend Betty’s Café and Tea Room at Harlow Carr – worth the trip in itself!

As Lutheran Christians, we often hearken back to the Reformation era and the life of Martin Luther (1483-1546). It goes without saying that countless believers preceded Luther in the millennium before his birth. One of these areas was the Celtic Church of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. Foreign to us, but very well known to Christians of these lands are names like Palladius and Patrick, Kevin and Canice, Brigid and Enda, Cuthbert and Columba, Aidan, Margaret and David, and many others. “The Land of Scholars and Saints,” as Ireland is sometimes called, kept the light of faith burning brightly as the Roman Empire collapsed into what we refer to as the “Dark Ages.” Beyond the myths and legends (and there are many of them), there remained the strong and vital core of confession of Jesus Christ as Lord. This fueled missionary zeal from the monastic communities of Ireland to areas all over continental Europe to bring the good news of Jesus to tribes and peoples in far-flung places. The Christian Church of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England was eventually incorporated more fully into the larger western Roman Church. But there remained something unique about the Celtic mind and heart, and its expression of the faith. It was a blessing to be on pilgrimage to some of these sites in our travels: York and Durhan in England; Edinburgh in Scotland; Dublin, Glendalough and other places in Ireland.

We visited the great cathedrals of York and Durham, the latter of which is the final resting place of St. Cuthbert (634/635-687 A.D.) and the Venerable Bede (672/673-735). These individuals rose out of the great monastic missionary movement several centuries earlier in Ireland that led to centers of Christian life and learning at other places, including Iona, Scotland and Lindisfarne, England. Regrettably, we were not able to visit either Iona or Lindisfarne due to time and travel restrictions.

In speaking with people in the places where we visited, we asked if they observed their own weather patterns to be changing, and without hesitation, they all said yes. For example, in conversation with people we met in Ireland, we learned that the very cool waters of the North Atlantic ocean off the coast of Ireland are warming to such a degree that octopus are now being found there! The cool-water fish that have traditionally been found there are moving on to other places. The land of fish and chips that is the UK and Ireland may well have to go farther to find this food staple. It is clear that things are changing everywhere, not just at home, but around the world.

As my sabbatical proposal stated: “The bookends of Scripture take place in a garden setting. The beginning of creation in Genesis, where Adam was called by God to “tend and keep” the garden, all takes place before the fall into sin. At the close of Scripture, God’s new creation again speaks of the river of life and the tree of life whose leaves “were for the healing of the nations,” made perfect in Christ Jesus. I desire to devote time and study toward ways in which we must pay more attention to how God calls us to be people of the First Article of the Creed (“I believe that God has made me and all creatures…”), who have been charged by God to care for all of creation. This has always been true, but it is especially relevant now with extreme weather patterns that are affecting as well as disrupting life on planet Earth.” I invite you to join in a Sunday morning Bible study that I will be teaching. The Care of Creation begins on Sunday, September 10, and is an 8-week study on Sunday mornings at 9:15AM. The main goal of this class is to lead Christians to delight in their place within creation and take seriously their responsibility to care for it as part of their daily Christian lives.

It would be easy to become overwhelmed by all of the weather extremes and climatic changes we are experiencing, and say, “The problem is so big, what can I do?” I believe there is something that our congregation can do, and that is to consider having a community garden on our westside campus. During my sabbatical, I visited a sister congregation, St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Bel Air, Maryland (St. Matthew | HOME (smlc.org), that has such a community garden as part of its ministry. I met with one of St. Matthew’s members in my visit and learned a great deal about the ins and outs of what’s involved with this. Is this an idea that our congregation could get behind and support? More to come on this, but please be praying for wisdom and guidance from the Lord to consider this.

Experience the Joy of Worship in Other Settings

One of the great joys from my summer sabbatical was to be in the pew as a worshiper vs. being up front in the chancel leading worship. It gives a pastor a very different and helpful perspective. It’s a rare occasion when my wife, June, and I can sit together for worship, and we enjoyed worshiping at sister congregations both locally as well as in other areas. There is sameness as well as variation in the Body of Christ as God’s people come together for worship in settings both traditional as well as contemporary. We learned first-hand the importance of a welcoming presence for newcomers. Some churches we visited did this very well; others, not so much. Sometimes church members are hesitant to talk with someone they don’t know. They are unsure what to say, but please do say something! It can be as simple as the following: “Hi there, I don’t think I have met you before. My name is _____________, and it’s nice to meet you.” That person-to-person reaching out is absolutely vital for the guest to feel welcome in a new place.

While scouting around online for other congregations where we could worship over the summer, we found one and duly showed up on Sunday morning. We were surprised to find that we were the only ones in the church parking lot shortly before the service time. Someone showed up who told us that this was the wrong time for summer worship and the service was an hour later. Oops! The take-away here is that accurate and up-to-date information on any church’s website is critical as this is where guests and visitors go first to find out what’s going on.

While overseas, we were privileged to attend worship in different denominational settings, including choral Evensong at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. This is part of the Church of Ireland, affiliated with the Anglican Church. I very much wanted to experience choral Evensong on our trip, and we had hoped to do this at the great cathedrals in York and Durham as well, but it didn’t work out for us. These cathedrals, in addition to being houses of worship, are also big tourist centers; however, each day in the late afternoon, everything pauses for this daily service of prayer that is sung. A visiting choir from Memphis, Tennessee, was present and led in singing at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, and it was heavenly. As you can imagine, there aren’t too many Lutheran churches in Ireland; in fact, we didn’t see any. We had been told that attendance at Mass in Ireland is down to about one in eight persons, which is very different from what we imagine it to be. We did attend the Carmelite Friary church in Kinsale, Ireland on a Sunday morning in late July, and the church was packed – standing room only! That seemed to be a notable difference from the statistic that we had been told. Whether this was an isolated occurrence or not, I do not know.

From worshiping in other places over my sabbatical, I have come to appreciate even more what we at St. John’s do in the ministry of worship. God be praised for staff members and congregational leaders who strive for excellence in worship each Sunday! The clear Lutheran distinction of Law and Gospel in preaching and teaching is a huge deal – you know it especially when it is not there. Music and song in worship are vitally important as we glorify the Lord through congregational singing. As the psalmist writes in the final verse of the final psalm: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6).

Conclusion

I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the members of St. John’s for the tremendous gift of this 3-month sabbatical. My sincere thanks to Pastor Gary Rueter who stepped into my role over these last three months. My prayers were with you all continually over the summer. Now as I re-enter my calling as the pastor of St. John’s, I ask for your prayers for every good thing from the Lord’s hand upon me so that I may equip the saints for effective ministry that the Body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:12).