Paying Attention

A photo from Kevin's spiritual retreat at Gethsemani Abbey

Being able to step away from the demands of parish and campus ministry for three months of rest, reconnection, reflection, and renewal was an incredible gift.  I am deeply grateful that clergy sabbaticals are a priority for our diocese and for Saint Alban’s. I am also thrilled to be back at work in this wonderful community.  I have missed all of you and am so looking forward to reconnecting in the days ahead and sharing some of my sabbatical experiences in more detail.

During my sabbatical, I came across the following words from Mary Oliver in her book of essays Upstream: “Attention is the beginning of devotion”.  Anyone familiar with her writings knows that Oliver had a remarkable capacity for paying deep attention to her world, particularly to the wonders and intricacies of nature, which nurtured in her a deep spiritual devotion. These words became a sort of thematic mantra for the remainder of my sabbatical.  They reminded me how important it is, in the midst of the busy-ness of life, to be intentionally attentive to those things that truly matter and that help cultivate the abundant life that Jesus has offered us.  A sabbatical, of course, provides a tremendous opportunity to do just that, and I did my best to take advantage of that opportunity.

Sabbaticals, however, do not happen on a frequent basis, if at all.  Most folks never get a sabbatical from their working lives.  I wish more did, but that’s for another newsletter article.  The challenge, then, is how we find ways to pay deep attention to the important things in a world of many competing demands.  It requires some intentionality.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Attend church regularly. This is the easy one!  Sunday services provide a built-in opportunity to pay attention to that which matters most in the company of other attention-payers.  

• Establish a daily practice of prayer, alone and/or with others. If this is something that would be new for you, start by setting aside 20 minutes at the beginning and/or end of your day.  Take advantage of the Book of Common Prayer, which is loaded with helpful resources to support a daily prayer life.  On pages 136-140 you will find “Daily Devotions from Individuals and Families”.  Beginning on page 809 is a large and varied collection of prayers that you can use at any time.  You can find an online BCP here.  There is an Electronic Common Prayer app for phones and tablets, which also includes the appointed scripture reading for each day.  As your schedule allows, you can also take advantage of our Morning Prayer offerings: 9:15 in the side chapel on Tuesdays and Thursdays; virtually on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:00 at the following link: https://meet.google.com/xam-pebn-vjb

• Get out in nature to experience the wonders and majesties of God’s creation.  As has been said, Creation was the “first Bible”, the first an most accessible revelation of God. 

• Set aside extended and intentional time to be with your family and loved ones.

• Consider doing an occasional “digital fast”, a day or portion of a day when you turn off and put away all digital devices. Use the time to get out in nature or read a book or do something creative. 

• Do an annual spiritual retreat.  There are various places in NC and further afield that provide opportunities to get away for intentional times of prayer, silence, reflection, etc.

This is by no means an all-inclusive list of possibilities.  You may already have your own ways of paying attention.  If so, keep doing them.  Attention is indeed the beginning of devotion.

Kevin+