Sabbatical

What is a sabbatical?
Replenishing “soil” by allowing it to lie “fallow” for a season.

Sabbatical is God’s idea…
…and it’s a good one

Leviticus 25:1-7
“The Lord spoke to Moses on Mt Sinai and said, “Speak to the Israelites in these words: ‘When you enter the land which I will give you, the land shall keep sabbaths to the Lord. For six years you may sow your fields…but in the seventh year the land shall keep a sabbath of sacred rest, a Sabbath to the Lord.’”

It was called the shmita, or “year of remission” and is mentioned in Exodus 23, Deuteronomy 31, and 2 Chronicles 36 as well.

Those taking sabbaticals are to…
• Stop! Trusting God to run his world with or without us.
• Delight in what God has given, particularly people: spouse, family, and friends.
• Get some rest! Sleep well, eat well, relax; enjoy the finer things, avoid the draining things.
• Grow closer to God.

Snow Day!
“…if you are a pastor or Christian leader I want to encourage you to take time for sabbatical rest every seven or eight years. To be providing leadership in God’s church is a demanding task. The soil needs to be replenished and to lie dormant for a season. I have taken two three- to four-month sabbaticals eight years apart. They transformed my life, my marriage, and the church I pastor. I continue to feed others out of the rich fruit of those sabbaticals.”
—Peter Scazzero, Pastor of New Life Church, NYC and author of The Emotionally Healthy Church.