What Should I Bring?

Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure disease, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money --- not even an extra tunic.’ - Luke 9:1-3 (NRSV)

As I made the 30+ hour journey through the air from Syracuse to Bangkok I reflected on this text from the Gospel of Luke.  In part, because the method of modern sabbatical-taking seems contrary to how the gospel writer describes Jesus’ method in deploying the disciples for their first experience in the practice of ministry.  As Luke describes it, it seems very spur of the moment and slipshod.  These learners in the ways of God’s Kingdom awaken one morning to learn that Jesus is sending them out to put into practice all they learned while accompanying him through the countryside and sitting as learners at his feet.  Their intensive learning experience with the Master has concluded.  Graduation day has come and they are sent forth as practitioners in the arts of proclamation and spiritual healing.

What is particularly surprising is Jesus’ instruction to take nothing for the journey.  They’re not allowed to grab to an extra change of clothes, their credit cards, or a tuna fish sandwich for the road.  Apparently, no advanced planning has taken place. They don’t consult a travel agent or book hotel rooms.  No demographic analysis of the communities they will visit has been conducted.  No needs surveys have been distributed, collected, and tabulated.  No feasibility studies have been drafted.  Instead, they simply head out to proclaim that the Kingdom of God has come and to offer healing of body and soul. They are to stay where they are welcomed and shake the dust from their sandals when the door is slammed in their faces.

Contrast Jesus’ method in sending out The Twelve with what is necessary to plan, fund, and implement a sabbatical period for a pastor and congregation.  For several years, the Staff Relations Committee and I have occasionally discussed the possibility of and need for a sabbatical.  In 2011, SRC chair, Rev. Jim Dick, encouraged me to move from talk to action.  In early 2011, the committee and I began working on the process of submitting a sabbatical grant application to the Lilly Endowment.  Other church leaders where brought into the conversation.  Presentations were made to Ministry Teams and the Ministry Coordinating Council.  Votes of affirmation were taken.  A lengthy application that included a sabbatical plan, proposed budget, congregational and professional data, and denominational endorsement was submitted to the Lilly Endowment.  The following September, Lilly informed us that Tabernacle had been awarded the requested granted.  Contracts were signed.  By November 2012 the funds had been received, and work was just beginning!

We next formed a special search committee to identify and call a Short-term Interim Pastor to provide leadership and pastoral care to the congregation during the four month sabbatical period.  In the providence of God, Rev. Dr. Marilyn Biassa, a recently retired United Methodist pastor with a rich history of cross-cultural ministry and academic experience, accepted the call to serve in this important role.

For me, at times, the preparation for the sabbatical has seemed almost endless.  As soon as I have checked one task off from my “to do” list, another task is added.   Countless emails have been exchanged.  Karen Baptist leaders in Burma have graciously agreed to host me, provide me with lodging, and arrange an itinerary of visits to seminaries, Bible Schools, and churches.  ABC International Ministries has allowed me to join a group in Burma to attend the Myanmar Baptist Convention’s Judson Bicentennial celebration and visit significant Judson sites.

In addition, airfare has been purchased and hotel/guest house accommodations reserved.  A business visa to enter Myanmar has been applied for and received. Emergency medical insurance has been purchased.  I’ve visited my doctor and a travel clinic to receive tetanus and polio boosters, a thyoid inoculation, and prescriptions for doxycyclene (anti-malaria prophylaxis) and ciprofloxacin (at the ready, if needed, to combat gastro-intestinal infection).  I’ve sprayed my clothing with a special mosquito repellant that is guaranteed to last for six washings!

Then, there is the matter of what clothing to bring --- 5 pairs of pants, too many shirts, 7 days worth of underwear and socks, two pairs of shoes, sandals, a lightweight rain jacket, and fleece jacket for when I return to frozen Upstate New York.  But, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  There is also the question, “What other stuff do I need to haul to Burma and back?”  My toiletry kit is well stocked.  Hand sanitizer, lots of Kleenex and wet wipes, and a small kit with bandaids and antiseptic wipes are also packed.   I have an ample supply of insect repellent and sunscreen on hand.  A compact Bible and notebook are in my carry-on.

As someone who lives in a digital world, I admit to bringing far more digital devices than necessary --- an ultra-book (small, lightweight laptop computer), a Nook reader, my smartphone, and two digital cameras.  All of this electronic stuff of course necessitates bring along the appropriate cords, chargers, and power-adapters.

So, how does one reconcile Jesus’ command to The Twelve to “take nothing for your journey” with all that I am bringing on my sabbatical journey?  And, what about the unplanned character of the sending out of the disciples versus the extensively planned nature of my sabbatical journey?  The too easy answer is, “Well, I live in a very different world than Jesus and the disciples.”  A better answer, I believe, is found in asking why Jesus sent the disciples out as he did.  It was to open them up to others in their dependence on others’ hospitality.  It was to open them to how God would use them and provide for them.  It was to free them from the obsession about one’s own welfare and security that blinds us to beauty and potential God desires us to see.

The truth is, how one handles the preparations and precautions that are part of a lengthy journey into a different culture a long way from home is a tricky thing.  I don’t think the answer is to head out without any preparation and having taken no precautions.  But, there are also great dangers in the opposite approach.  Particularly, for those of us who live in a materialistic culture.  One of the great lies of materialism is that our worth, identity, and security is defined by the stuff we possess.  And, yes,  I acknowledge I have been formed and shaped by my culture.

 Here are some of the questions I am asking myself as I begin my time in Thailand and Burma.  Does what I have done to prepare for this sabbatical journey and what I have brought with me give me a false sense of security?  Does it isolate me from others or open me up others?  Do I have a sense of security because of technology I possess?  Or, am I secure because the eternal One walks with me and promises to guide my steps?  Am I free and willing to discover the new experiences and new learning God is prepared to teach me in this time?  Is this journey an expression of my commitment to proclaim the good news that God’s kingdom is at hand and to be an agent of God’s healing and hope?