Saturdays, Soccer, and Sabbath (month 2).
Our second month in Colorado provided the boys their first experience in organized sports! All four boys got their first set of cleats, shin guards, and long socks. We have been enjoying soccer as a family for a while, but it has been a gift to see them learn teamwork and receive coaching from other adults.
September in Colorado Springs is a glorious time for soccer. Even on the chillier mornings the sun wraps you in warmth. Pikes Peak towering in the background is not too shabby either. Jerusalem and I have enjoyed delighting in seeing the boys be stretched out of their comfort zone and learn the need to rely on others. We are learning all the same lessons with them! But, Saturdays are not just about soccer, it is primarily our sabbath.
For the past few years we have been celebrating and keeping sabbath as a family, but the reality is the gift of sabbath has been keeping us. Every Friday night we bake a large chocolate chip cookie in a cast iron skillet and pour a copious amount of vanilla ice cream on top. Living into this liturgy has been life giving for us.
For the Jewish community the day begins at sundown. This means our sabbath begins with us doing nothing because God has done everything. We go to sleep and rest, not because sabbath is a reward for getting all our work done, but because it is a gift from God who knows we can’t get it all done. Settling into a new house and town is a lot of work, but experiencing a settledness in your soul is the work of God. We are grateful the gospel is all about what God has done, is doing, and will do! We are learning to receive afresh this work before we start releasing it.
A large part of settling in this season is about prioritizing this receiving. I very much expected to show up and hit the ground running, even as I am preaching a pace of walking. Old habits die hard.
The gift of space and time to settle well and be present to my family as we acclimate to this move has allowed me to begin the process of integrating past ministry experience into my new personal, familia, and ministry rule of life. In a counterintuitive way it has also allowed me to be more attentive and present to the new relationships I am developing with staff members and parishioners. In addition to building new relationship at both churches (Holy Trinity & IAC), we are also enjoying getting to know our new neighbors.
