In 1977 Henri Nouwen wrote a little book entitiled, The Living Reminder. In it he explored remembrance as the foundation and trajectory of ministry. The spiritual heart of ministry is discovered in the act of remembering and in service as a “living reminder.”

Much of the work of The Sabbath Project orbits around the sacred work of remembering. In the one to one visits with leaders we remember the heart of the vocational life that launched a life of ministry and which sustains it day by day. In the Seasons of the Pastoral Life retreat program we remember how the symbols of the natural seasons emerge in the day to day life of pastors in congregations. In the Mindfulness in Parish Life program the very heart of meditative practice is a remembering of the core human capacity to pay attention to the exquisite details of being alive, here and now. A capacity that we have as a divine gift.

In these summer days, as the rhythm of parish life shifts. Remember to rest. Remember to pay attention to this blessed summer as it passes. Remember to receive the blessedness in God, which is given in your baptismal calling.

Remember who and whose you always are.

Peace,

Pastor Lee Goodwin +