The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period.
August 2007, Page 1.
Index of articles:
by subject,
by date.
In this issue:
(August 2007)
Prayer,
Appointments,
Hymnwriters,
Egypt,
Covenant.
This question appeared recently on the COIN (Christians on the Internet) e-mail discussion forum recently ... but I'm not telling you how other clergy replied!
Do vicars pray on holiday?
Q. When you go on holiday do you still say the Office if that is your usual practice? Do you change your usual practice in terms of prayer etc.? Does anybody not pray at all? It is holiday - just how much do you leave things behind?
A. I remember someone saying a long time ago that when you get ordained, you have to learn how to draw a line between “God” and “work”.
Ordinary working people have to do their work faithfully and also manage their family and other commitments in their non-work time. They have to make sure they get their work/leisure balance right, and they’ll be no use to anyone if they become workaholics or layabouts. If they are Christians, they have to put their loyalty to Jesus first: but as the bible tells them to do their work honestly and to be faithful and upright in their various commitments, this doesn’t usually cause them many conflicts (although it does challenge a lot of things they do during their work and leisure time).
The trick in being a vicar is to keep “work” in its proper perspective. In a way, the question gives it away. The word “Office” (short for the “daily office”) in the question means the clergy’s duty to pray Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer every day (except when “reasonably hindered”) - and Morning and Evening Prayer are laid out in a book. When I’m on holiday I’m excused from using Morning and Evening Prayer as set out in the book ... but I’m not excused from praying and bible reading. So I take a bible, and a bible-reading scheme with me (the same one as we use on the notices sheet at church) so that I have something to get me started if I need it, but often I read something different.
I think a holiday is a good time to “let go and let God”. The chance of seeing the amazing scenery on our planet is always a reminder to me of God’s bounty. Very often it prompts me to respond with a song - which I try to write down; because even though I think Songwriting is part of my “work”, I think it’s important not to neglect the inspiration God gives me in my “leisure” time. (Harmonization and critiquing words are “work”, but inspiration is “God”.) And likewise I try not to “do pastoral care” to the people I meet on holiday (for that would be “work”), but if they ask me what I do I don’t deny that I’m a vicar, because God wants all Christians to be open and honest about their faith in Jesus.
John Hartley