A few years ago, my District Superintendent ("DS") (a "supervising pastor" in our churches) was having a conversation with a church member. The topic of "pastors having a day off" came up, and seemed to turn the conversation into something more than "casual". The church member felt that pastors should need a day off - after all, this person got up every morning, did the chores around his place, and still made it to church.
Of course, my DS had to bring up that even one of the Commandments refers to keeping a holy Sabbath, but this church member didn't seem to want any part of that - he still had to take care of his chores every day of the week.
OK - even Jesus mentioned that we still have to care for our oxen and such on the Sabbath, but still, this didn't seem good enough... the preacher doesn't need a day off. Working long hours on hospital visits and funeral preps and meetings and planning the Worship service and so on and so on... that's what we do.
To this, the DS replied "then what other Commandment can the preacher ignore?"
Some folks don't realize the work that's involved in a pastor's daily routine.
There is the sermon prep, which means the research, writing, editing of each sermon (even of we pull out an "oldie but a goodie" from our files, most of the time the sermon has to be edited for today's topics, congregation, worldly issues, etc).
There are the visits, and these are broken down by "laity business" (catching up with a committee member on something), "laity stop-by" (checking in with someone who may have been busy and hasn't made it to church in a couple of weeks, or just getting around town for a "howdy-do", "hospital visits" (going to the hospital, or hospitals, and in some cases, in multiple cities, to visit people - sometimes scheduled, sometimes suddenly, sometimes at all hours of the day and night), "clergy business" (checking in with a colleague about something or running forms to offices), "clergy stop-by" (grabbing a cup of coffee with a colleague when passing through their town just to say "hi" - ours can be a lonely job at times).
Then there are the meetings. Church meetings, Clergy meetings, District meetings, Conference meetings ... just to name a few.
I'm by no means complaining about the pastoral life. It is what God has called me to do, and I do it to the best of my ability, with God's help and grace by the power of the Holy Spirit, studying the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
I chuckle / find humor in / am amused at us pastors. Some of us struggle for the sacred "day off", only to have something happen. So when we can peel ourselves away from the "clergy" role long enough to take that break, what do we do? We become busy-bodies.
We read (often times, something related to our occupation/calling).
We travel to go shopping (even though we were in that same town just the other day for something clergy-related)
We go to community club meetings about gardening, knitting, or quilting (with many people from our churches)
... Even if we stay home, become a couch potato, and veg in front of the television with some good movies, we'll find ourselves thinking "Oh, I've got to use this scene in my next sermon!"
For my clergy colleagues, you are in my prayers on your days off - that you have a peaceful, rejuvenating, Sabbath and day of rest.
For others, the "closed" sign is on my door. LOL
