Graciously Receiving God’s Gift of Sabbath
When we take in the wide expanse of biblical teaching on sabbath, it seems clear to me that God intends for us to rest regularly and intentionally. Our times of rest may well be private, though we also need to gather with other believers on a weekly basis for worship and fellowship. Moreover, though we rightly put aside our ordinary work in order to receive God’s gift of rest, we should follow Jesus in recognizing that certain kinds of work – healing, for example – are fully consistent with faithful sabbath keeping. The sabbath is God’s gift to humankind, a gift that enhances restoration, relationship, and reflection. I believe we need to receive this gift today as individuals, friends, families, and churches.
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What Happened to the Sabbath Among Christians?
Though the first Christians observed the sabbath since they were Jewish, before long Christians innovated. Some observed the sabbath on Saturday and gathered on Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Others made Sunday their “special day.” Though Christians differ on the specific, throughout the centuries most have set apart one day a week as a special day, a time for worship, prayer, and reflection.
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Sabbath: A Time for Healing, Part 2
The example and teaching of Jesus encourages us to do good on the sabbath. This includes healing and other acts of compassion and concern. We should be open to how God might want to use us during our times of rest for ordinary work. However, those of us who are inclined to work too much, including volunteering at church, must be sure we don’t miss the central “activity” of sabbath, which is rest.
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Money Doesn’t Exist
God ultimately rules over light and darkness, weal and woe, leveled mountains and straight roads—and over the exchange of money.
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Sabbath: A Time for Healing
In several places in the biblical Gospels Jesus healed on the sabbath. This got him in trouble with the Pharisees, who believed that healing was work and therefore unlawful on the sabbath. Jesus did not deny that healing was work, but he insisted that it was right to do good on the sabbath, including healing bodies and souls. In our times of rest we should be open to the healing God wants to do in us and through us.
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Sabbath: A Time for Prayer
Like all faithful Jews in his time of history, Jesus prayed on the sabbath. He prayed in synagogue services, during traditional sabbath meals, and when he was alone with his Heavenly Father. The example of Jesus encourages us to make prayer central to our regular times of rest. The teaching of Jesus on sabbath prayer reminds us to pray with authenticity whether we’re with others or by ourselves. Prayer is not a show either for God or other people. It’s genuine, intimate communication with God. What could be more fitting for the day when we stop working in order to turn our hearts to the Lord?
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Sabbath: A Time for Meaningful Conversation
In synagogue gatherings, Jesus engaged in conversations about significant things. His example shows us that meaningful conversations are essential to our experience of sabbath rest. Sometimes these will happen in the context of our church community. Often significant conversations will take place in other settings, especially as we share food together. No matter the way we do it, we need to include meaningful conversation in our regular times of rest.
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Latinx Heritage Month II: Our Messiah was a Migrant
Our Messiah was a migrant and so were his people. He was shaped by the rituals of remembrance that recalled those deportations and the pain and trials that accompanied them. He was shaped by hearing about those ancestors who stood steadfast in the face of fear and violent dictators. He was shaped by the _hesed_ love of God to a people time and time again. Grief and grace shaped our Messiah. If you want to see God on the move, see the people that are on the move. The migration stories of his ancestors and his very own birth story were a means of God’s grace.
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Latinx Heritage Month I: Raíces // Roots
When I study Jesus’ genealogy, I am fascinated by the Spirit’s careful detail through the gospel writer to tell us the names of Jesus’ ancestors. Each name is a story grounded in place, in land, in languages, and in peoples. From the prophetic disruption and inclusion of women’s names that were not traditionally included in genealogies all the way to forced migration, Jesus’ story has scandal and sassy protagonists. His story includes land displacement and multiple languages as much as rootedness and identity.
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Sabbath: A Time for Scripture
The example of Jesus in Luke 4 reminds us of the centrality of Scripture in sabbath observance. As we stop working in order to rest, we open our minds and hearts to hear God speak to us through Scripture. We do this through both individual reflection and congregational worship. As we hear others read and interpret God’s written Word, we ask the Holy Spirit to teach, guide, and inspire us. And we set aside time for prayerful meditation on biblical truth.
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Sabbath: A Time for Community
Regularly gathering with others on the sabbath allows us to share together the goodness of God’s presence experienced in worship and in common meals. It also helps us to be faithful in our own sabbath observance. Those of us inclined to overwork will be well served by the discipline of regularly scheduled gatherings for worshipping and eating with others. The example of Jesus reminds us that our experiences of regular rest need to include time well spent with others.
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The Lord of the Sabbath
The example and teaching of Jesus will help us discover how we should receive God’s gift of sabbath today. For this reason, we study the biblical gospels as well as the whole biblical narrative. But, in addition to studying, we ought also to pray, asking Jesus for wisdom about how, in our cultural milieu, we might experience the regular rest God intends for us. The same Jesus who once spoke in a Galilean field speaks today through Scripture, through the community of his followers, and through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
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Human Significance, Part 2
Awe in God’s majesty gives us hope and clarity that while things may be dark now, they will not always be.
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Human Significance, Part 1
God can use the vastness of creation to show us that we are valuable to Him.
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