Christians today are engaged in a constant struggle. Today we are so busy that we struggle to preserve and protect space in our lives for God. In an effort to become more efficient, and make better use of our time, we compartmentalize our lives, only to then lose sight of the sacredness of our daily life and work. We live in a time of increased work demands and rapid technological advancement, which has been described as “disruptive innovation.” We are constantly adapting to new demands, new technology, new patterns and rhythms of life. Thus, we move from one disruption, one distraction to another.
Too often the Church has responded by mourning the way things are now, wishfully thinking we could return to earlier days when life was slower and the church enjoyed a more privileged place in the our society and the lives of our members. However, to continue this wishful thinking is to become increasingly irrelevant within our communities and in the lives of our members. The church now needs to help people engage with this new reality in a Christian, spiritual way, drawing on the strengths of our faith and tradition. The church must support and equip Christians to live and work in a way that is centered in Christ, that preserves Sabbath time – time with God - and to integrate our spirituality and faith into our everyday lives so that we see every day and every thing as sacred.
This integration of spirituality and every day life is an important part of our Lutheran tradition. Martin Luther left the monastic life and insisted that household life was just as sacred, just as pleasing in the eyes of God, as life in the monastery.
In his sermon on the Estate of Marriage (1522), Luther writes about the sacredness of diapers:
“Now observe that when…our natural reason…takes a look at married life, she turns up her nose and says, “Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores, and on top of that care for my wife, provide for her, labor at my trade, take care of this and take care of that, do this and do that, endure this and endure that, and whatever else of bitterness and drudgery married life involves? What, should I make such a prisoner of myself? O you poor, wretched fellow, have you taken a wife? Fie, fie upon such wretchedness and bitterness! It is better to remain free and lead a peaceful, care free life, I will become a priest or a nun and compel my children to do likewise.”
“What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, “O God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash its diapers. or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? O how gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labor, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight.”
“God, with all his angels and creatures, is smiling, not because that father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith.”
Of course, this not only goes for diapers and children, but also fixing the house, paying the bills, and going to work. In some ways, Luther could take for granted the sacredness of all things, but today we struggle to maintain this perspective. People are longing for a way to find meaning and discover God in their lives. The church needs to reintroduce this sense of spirituality and remind us that approaching even the most mundane parts of our lives in faith makes it sacred and pleasing to God.
I propose to work on this question, this challenge, as my project during my sabbatical, a project that I call “everyday sacred.”
I will carry out my sabbatical completely in the context of daily family life, so that the sabbatical will be a practicum on faith, spirituality, and daily family life. At this time in my life, with two children under 5 and two more on the way, it is a constant challenge to blend and balance family time with the demands of ministry. So, I take this on for myself, but also on behalf of the congregation. For, all of our families, perhaps our young families most acutely, experience the challenge of making room for God in the midst of their busy, demanding lives.
This will be a great challenge for me. My inclination in pursing the spiritual life is to take silent retreat at a monastery, which I have done several times. However, my situation does not allow that, but, like you, I am still intent on deepening my spiritual life in this setting. Thus, I intend to do the work I want to do within my family setting.
In order to meet this challenge I will follow a daily schedule or pattern that incorporates time apart and integrative time. First, each morning and afternoon, I will take time apart for prayer practices, reading, and journaling. My participation in the Shalem Institute Personal Spiritual Deepening Program (see appendix 1) provides resources and structure for this work, including specific silent and spoken prayer practices such as body prayer, chant, and lectio divina, and many more. They also have assigned reading and a recommended reading list. I intend to focus on the writing of Martin Luther and contemporary works on the practical, spiritual, and theological aspects of this theme. I also intend to become proficient in the work and writing of contemporary writer and co-founder of the Shalem Institute, Gerald May, whose work is very accessible and can be of good use in our congregation. While my personal experience will focus on family life, I also intend to read on spirituality and work. I will also do daily journaling. Second, throughout each day I will pray the Divine Hours, praying four times during the day: morning, noontime, evening, and night. Finally, recognizing that all life is sacred, I will approach getting my children up and fed, play time, preparing meals, conversation with family as spiritual practices in themselves. In addition to this daily routine, I will have monthly support and accountability through spiritual direction, group spiritual direction, mentoring by the Shalem program director, and I will email Mutual Ministry committee at the end of June with an update.
