SABBATICAL

Dear Friends in Christ:

Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the LORD: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. (Leviticus 25:3-4)

In November I will have served this parish for seven years and the Vestry has supported my desire to take a sabbatical this fall. I have been awarded a Proctor Scholarship at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts and will be in residence there from the beginning of September until the middle of December. I am very thankful to EDS for the awarding of the Scholarship which will cover the cost of room and board and tuition.

During my sabbatical, Mother Frieda will be Priest-in-Charge and will be responsible for overseeing worship and pastoral care. Deacon Polly will continue to oversee the parish’s educational programs.

I have two goals for my sabbatical time.

Over the past few years one of the challenges we have faced in the Episcopal Church is maintaining unity without insisting upon theological uniformity. This not a new challenge – it dates back to the English Reformation and the Elizabethan Settlement – but it still a very serious challenge. Here in the parish we have done well, I think, in honoring our differing convictions about the controversial issues in the Episcopal Church. Belonging to this community of faith does not mean agreeing with the Rector or one another about any of these issues. We share common prayer, but not necessarily common understanding of the Bible or theology. I think we done well in meeting this challenge, but I’m sure we can do better. During my sabbatical I plan visit and learn from Episcopal congregations in New England that have been successful in meeting this challenge.

The sabbatical will also provide me with the opportunity to continue my study of the Atonement theology. I began serious study of this a few years ago with the writings of the contemporary Roman Catholic theologian James Alison, but I have not had the time to consider the work of theologians from other centuries and other traditions. I believe that how we understand the Atonement, how we understand how Christ reconciled us to God, can have a profound effect on how we live and work as members of the Body of Christ. As I wrote in The Apostle two years ago, “ I believe that theology, thinking about God and our relationship with God, is important. Bad theology can often lead to bad actions on our part, as it did during the apartheid era in South Africa. Good theology helps to deepen our relationship with God and to shape our Christian discipleship.” (That essay is “Here I Stand”)

I ask you to pray for me and the parish before and during the sabbatical. I also ask that prayerfully consider ways that you can assist the clergy and the vestry during the time that I am in Cambridge.

Your brother and priest,
Daniel

The Episcopal Divinity School's Alumni/ae Executive Committee
May 2008
(I'm on the right in the back row.)