sundays over the last year have been a treat for me.
i almost hate to say it. as a faith leader with a beautiful house to serve, i’ve almost wrestled with a feeling of guilt from enjoying remote Sundays so much. for the first time in over a decade, i’ve gotten to be fully present on Sundays. i’ve gotten to bask in the liturgical and virtual work that was completed the week before, hold some digital space with my community as we stream our service together, and then do what most (lay) people do on Sunday: nothing and everything.
my remote Sundays have included such blissful activities as:
sleeping. in. 🙌🏾
making my own flavored syrups, pulling manual espresso shots, and creating Almond milk lattes to my own liking, without spending $7.00 (or more).
making brunch, complete with a glass of bubbles or a brunch cocktail.
taking a long walk in Grant Park, sometimes with my Shih Tzu, Chuy. mostly by myself.
reading for leisure.
spending time with my family and my beloved.
watering my plants.
enjoying informal prayer and worship with my family, or a devotional on my own.
and my favorite: taking long Sunday afternoon naps. lissen here. when i was growing up, and we’d have these marathon Sundays, replete with going to both of parents’ churches, coming home to help prepare Sunday dinner, and cleaning up as a family. on high holy days, we’d even drive from San Antonio (my hometown) to Austin, where my grandfather was pastored New Lincoln Missionary Baptist Church. we’d attend another service (or two) before calling it a day. as a clergywoman, i often reminisced about those absolutely divine naps. however, no matter what was going on, on most Sundays, we would all stop for a Sunday afternoon nap. these were special naps. that sleep would be so satisfying and sweet. so peaceful and deep. and, i loved it in the summer, when i would wake up around dusk, and there would still be some daylight time to do some outdoor activity. i specifically remember my dad watering the flowers outside in the front yard on Sunday evenings. it would be so quiet and still. as busy and full as those mornings would often be, those afternoon naps and evening reflection would be so replenishing. even as a little girl, i experienced this.
around 2008, however, Sundays became the hardest and longest day of the workweek. this was when i started working in congregational settings as a seminarian. every Sunday since then, i could be found somewhere working. to be sure, i’ve often basked in how God usually has a blessing for me on Sundays, and how much i love being with the People. but, for all intents and purposes, Sundays are not days of sabbath for professional clergy who work in churches. it is a workday. a very intense workday. (days like today, Pentecost, are especially intense because of the significant liturgical and emotional emphasis that we place on the occasion, which it is rightly due. many of us have to find/create Sabbath on another day of the week, typically Mondays, or, in my case, Fridays.
in the beginning of the quarantine, i didn’t know what to do with myself on Sundays. all i’ve known to do on Sundays is to work. so, i experimented with some new virtual programs with the students, faculty and staff. but, after a few Sundays, the attendance waned. i probed, and i discovered that most people were really tired from a full week of Zoom classes, meetings, and gatherings. the weekends were becoming more valuable than they were before.
when i started to accept this, it didn’t take me long to begin to embrace it. i began to understand that once this period ends, this will likely never happen again. Sundays will go back to being long workdays, at some point. however, for now, Sundays have become a time of personal stillness, enjoyment, spiritual preparation for the upcoming week, and most importantly, rest. i have learned, and am still learning, the spiritual value of delight. how good it is for the soul to water the plants with a cup of freshly brewed Burundi, with a podcast or some Sade playing. how good it is to drive to Mom and Dad’s, to see the family and enjoy a Sunday dinner together. how good it is to lay down next to my beloved in the park, or to make a Trader Joe’s run together. how good it is to pray in a variety of ways, and to feel God talking back in the breeze or the whiff of the coffee. this is my new sabbath.
as important part of my new sabbath practice is that i’m careful about what i consume on Sundays. if it doesn’t promote my joy, my delight, my groundedness in hope, then i don’t take it in. i’ve found that, sometimes, a poem is more spiritually fortifying than a sermon, and that a silent walk outdoors is the spiritual discipline that opens me up to hear from Spirit. i do miss being the fellowship of being with the People, but I believe I’m in the throes of a spiritual reset that will only serve and benefit my congregation when we return to gathering in-person.
so, i’m going to share the joy of new sabbath with you, my readers. a couple of Sundays per month, i’ll provide a curated list of delightful things, such as poems, songs, videos, books, etc., and my hope is that it will provide you with some new sabbath rest, joy, and perspective. this will help me to develop the discipline of paying close attention to what brings me sabbath rest, joy and perspective, and turning around to share it with my community.
today’s new sabbath:
i slept in after a long weekend of celebrating my beloved’s birthday. 🥳
my 45-minute walk in Grant Park, i listened to this song on repeat. i remembered the two sessions with this year’s WISDOM Scholars that we played this song, and we just enjoyed being with other and with Spirit, while on Zoom. during my walk, i spotted a Black woman who was selling Hibiscus tea, and i decided to stop and purchase a bottle. when i go back and see her again, i’m going to get her information and share it with y’all because it was really good!
i came home to enjoy a Turmeric latte from this Black-woman-owned brand, Golde. it took me a while to try this, because i love my coffee. now, i’m about to become a subscriber because this latte is delicious and i’m already enjoying the health benefits. of turmeric.
i watched this video of a woman detailing the theft of her family’s home in Sheikh Jarrah. this week, a ceasefire was called between Israel and Hamas. this woman’s clarity of heart, spirit and voice inspired me. i continue to pray for the fully dignity of our Palestinian family, and for their full liberation from occupation under the state of Israel.
i spoke to my best friend. and, we solidified dates for my June trip to visit her, which will be first time seeing her in person in over 16 months. we’ve NEVER gone this long without seeing each other, and so we just started getting excited. i also shared about this new facial serum that has me gushing and glowing!
i had dinner with my mom and dad, as we watched one of those really bad, but hard-to-not-watch Lifetime movies. 😂 as i drove home, i was blessed by Anita Baker’s version of “Summertime” for the first time! i’m an avid Anita fan, and this has to be one of those hidden gems.
have a great week, y’all. ❤️