leaping into it

and out of a box

This is, of course, a leap year. By happenstance, US Presidential elections and the summer Olympics follow the same four-year cycle. The extra day of February 29 is used to keep the year on the Gregorian calendar “synced up” with the earth’s revolution around the sun, which takes about 365 days and 6 hours.

The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar, which has 354 days in the year. That’s 11 days to make up for! In order to keep the Biblical festivals at their proper time annually, it is necessary to add an extra month. There is a 19-year cycle, with the extra month falling in the years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19. A leap year on the Hebrew calendar is called shana m’uberret, literally, “a pregnant year.” This year, 5784, is the sixth year in the current cycle.

The extra month is a second Adar, which is the final month of the year. When Adar 1 ends, we go immediately into Adar 2, which began on Sunday the 10th at sundown. Interestingly, Adar 1 is considered to be the extra month.

The word Adar means “strength,” and it is a month of rejoicing. [As mentioned in a previous post.] The fourteenth day of Adar is the feast of Purim. In Adar 1, it is Purim Katan (“little Purim.”) It is a holiday marking the defeat of an attempt to extinguish the Jewish people. (The brainchild of the evil Haman!) Happening in 5th century BCE Persia, it is recounted in the book of Esther.

One of the themes of Adar deals with identity revealed. Adar is associated with fish. The zodiac sign of Pisces is noted. Among other qualities, fish swimming underwater are hidden from sight.

The identity of fish is revealed when they come to the surface.

A picture of identity revealed belongs to Esther herself. She was counseled by her uncle Mordecai to keep her Jewish nationality a secret. Eventually, King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes in Greek) finds out the ethnicity of his beloved Queen Esther. Consequently, when Haman’s plot is revealed — he is peeved, to put it lightly.

Bringing together some loose ends, including the notes on Adar and Esther, we have during this time of “leaping” motifs of joy, strength, identity — indeed, identity revealed. And pregnancy? Being male, I won’t “leap” into describing that one!

Still, can we consider identity revealed as something to be leapt into? If so, can it bring joy and strength? What would that look like? We all have our own stories; I’ll share a little bit of mine.

Identity revealed. For 25 years, my identity has been that of a pastor in a parish setting. As of this past November, that was no longer the case. I wonder how long my new…my true…identity has been aching to be revealed — to come to the surface. I’ve done my best to keep it underwater!

But what joy, what strength. Perhaps I’ve felt like I couldn’t handle it. “But I’m not ready!” Fortunately, the Lord blessed me with my wife Banu who over the years has helped in pushing and pulling me in the right direction. It continues to be true during this leap year, this shana m’uberret. It is true during this Adar.

And leaping.

Soon, my wife and I will be moving to Pensacola, where I was born — and adopted, with my earliest memories of southern California. Until recent years, I had no real knowledge of Pensacola. But in 2018, my birth mother found me! So maybe there’s a circle of life at work.

But back to the pastoral identity. There is a difference between the ekklesia of the New Testament and the structural church that emerged. Sometimes they overlap; sometimes they are light years apart. Speaking as a Presbyterian minister (an identity I yet claim), I still believe the institutional church has value.

And yet, I dare not dismiss the prayer of my Lord Jesus, “I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one” (John 17:20–21). The Holy Spirit is in the process of tearing down the boxes we have built. The prophet Joel reports the word of God: “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh” (2:28).

What will my pastoral identity look like? I’m not totally sure. I have some ideas, but I must be honest. Maybe I’ve been living in a box for too long.

How about you?