I will probably take summer vacation in mid September and go to Zion and Bryce canyon national parks in utah. In part I do this due to the sage advice from our younger daughter some years ago-”Dad, at your advanced age, you should start checking things off the bucket list.” As summer begins, i am also determined to take some road trips. One of our members grew up near Carbondale and sends me southern Illinois tourist material. Soon,I plan to visit giant city State Park area. first, i want to enjoy some hiking. Second, I am interested in FDR public works programs. i am intrigued that the CCC built the fine buildings here at Pere Marquette and in giant city.
While many of us prize vacation time, few of us seem to prize sabbath time. The same folks who speak of the 10 Commandments as the basis of our legal and ethical culture seem to have a blind spot to the sabbath, whether it is for worship or for rest.
Vacations are a secular form of sabbath, are they not? They are opportunities for rest and recreation. I always like that recreation could work as re-creation, that we make something new of ourselves in leisure time. Vacation has an inherent spiritual dimension to it.
As you may know, we use quotes to discuss in our Saturday at 6 informal, style of worship.Here are some illustrative quotes on sabbath observance. Let’s look at just a few:
“Sabbath, in the first instance, is not about worship. It is about work stoppage. It is about withdrawal from the anxiety system of Pharaoh, the refusal to let one’s life be defined by production and consumption and the endless pursuit of private well-being.” ( Walter Brueggemann)The eminent biblical scholar reminds us that Israel was formed under slavery. Sabbath is an antidote to anyone or anything claiming all of our time and labor.
We are all in thrall to the work ethic. that in itself can become problematic. “If busyness can become a kind of violence, we do not have to stretch our perception very far to see that Sabbath time – effortless, nourishing rest – can invite a healing of this violence. When we consecrate a time to listen to the still, small voices, we remember the root of inner wisdom that makes work fruitful. We remember from where we are most deeply nourished, and see more clearly the shape and texture of the people and things before us.” ( Wayne Muller, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives) Notice how he connects rest to spiritual rest. In a world of constant demands, our frenzy can drown out the voices of the spirit. maybe that is our intention in our busy hectic lives all along?
“The Sundaies of man's life, / Thredded together on time's string,/ ... On Sunday heaven's gates stand ope;/ Blessings are plentiful and rife./ More plentiful than hope.” ( George Herbert, Temple--The Church--Sunday) For the religious poet, sabbath time allows us to transcend time and space.Sabbath gives us perspective against the constant bleat of more, more, more. Sabbath worship opens us to a world beyond the senses, to the realm of the divine.Herbert moves into a string of sabbath time strung together, like jewels on a necklace that decorate our lives. Perhaps better, those Sundays sting the disparate pieces of everyday life together.
We are more than beasts of burden. We are more than individual factories of production. We are human beings, not only human doers, made for a pace of work and rest. Sabbath Is time carved out for enjoying the blessings of God and the fruits of our labor.May the summer bring much needed Sabbath time to us all.
No comments:
Post a Comment