Trip Pr. Taran's Sabbatical 2026

The focus of my sabbatical studies will be exploring how Scripture’s story can/does shape, influence, sustain, and grace us in historic moments. To give context: I was ordained on October 31^st, 2020. My first weeks as a pastor were during the once in a hundred-year pandemic. There was a raid on the nation’s capital which hadn’t happened in two-hundred years. Racial injustice, tensions, and protests had risen to levels not seen since the 1960’s. And to boot, there was a dividing election grabbing everyone’s attention. At this intersection, I stood as a young preacher wondering why God had called me into the ministry “at just such a time as this.” [Es 4: 14] Of course, I am not the first preacher to stand at such an intersection. Two preachers of interest to me are the Apostle Paul and Martin Luther. Both held Scripture’s story in high regard and preached that old, old story, to navigate their present moment. I hope to study how they preached and taught so that I may be shaped in telling the old, old story for today.