A return to routine?

As summer draws to a close, my family and I are looking forward to resuming a more normal rhythm of life.

And so, as we return from the summer break and begin our weekly reflections again, it seems fitting to think about the rhythms and routines that shape our lives.

We love the summer holidays. There is a tangible sense of relief when school finishes and the usual rush eases. Team sports slow down, the alarm is set a little later, and working from home becomes easier as there is less travelling. Yet, in these final weeks of the holidays, we also find ourselves looking forward to the return of a regular routine - reconnecting with friends locally and settling back into the patterns of everyday life.

This got me thinking about how different those routines and rhythms can be. When I was a seaside church minister, summer brought almost the opposite experience. It was one of the busiest seasons, with outdoor events, visitors and packed Sunday services.

I was recently reminded of these different rhythms in two conversations with church leaders in the network. One was enjoying a quieter summer while much of his church family was away on holiday. Another reflected that their church rhythms are shaped closely by the rhythm of local life, meaning that their quieter seasons come at different points in the year.

That contrast helped me notice something wider: rhythms are not simply personal preferences or diary patterns. They are shaped by place, people, season and calling.

Although churches, communities and pioneers share some similarities, the rhythms of our lives can vary in many ways.

I have explored rhythms of life as part of discipleship, and there are many resources to choose from and models to follow. These can be helpful tools for reflection, and in particular seasons they may even be a real blessing. But I wonder if they sometimes miss something important: they can suggest that the best structure is one that comes from outside our own lives and contexts - from another person, another church or another community.

The problem isn't necessarily the model itself, but what happens when a model becomes a template. There can be an assumption that there is one pattern for everyone and that, if we follow the pattern faithfully, it will lead to ‘success’ - however we define it.

We see something similar in Matthew 12:1–14. The Pharisees had clear expectations about how the Sabbath should be observed, yet Jesus challenges their template twice: when his disciples pluck grain because they are hungry, and when he heals a man with a withered hand. In doing so, Jesus does not reject the Sabbath rhythm, but he refuses to let Sabbath become a system of control. He reminds them that Sabbath is meant to serve mercy, life and attentiveness to God, rather than simply maintaining a pattern.

There is also a sense of control built into some of the current rhythm of life resources and models: the idea that if we could just do the right things at the right times, everything will come good. Yet how much of the rhythm of our lives is within our control? The academic calendar is set by our society. Our families shape the wider events that happen in our lives. We experience ill health. In a rural context, the weather can have a dramatic effect on community life. Even the rhythms of our churches are shaped by things beyond our planning.

In saying this, I am not suggesting that we should live without routine and rhythm. Quite the opposite. We need rhythms that help us to live faithfully, to rest, to work, to pray and to remain attentive to God. But I think we need to be open to those rhythms being responsive, and different in each person, community and Christian community.

As we return to the familiar rhythms of September, I wonder what it might mean to pay attention to what God is doing in this season, rather than simply picking up where we left off. What needs to be resumed? What needs to be released? And where might the Spirit be inviting us into a different rhythm altogether?

Sam Abramian

Director, East of England