Sabbath Renewal
That did not take long. It did not take long to discover the difference between a day of Sabbath compared to a day off. May 5th, Monday, felt like a normal day off. I took Dr. Levison to the airport, went to a doctor’s appointment, and then went home to cut the grass. Most days, I enjoy cutting the grass being outside and getting some exercise. It feels good to use my body physically. This Monday was no different. However, a day off, even if enjoyable, is often filled with activities, work around the house, all hoping that you can get it done before the day ends. Yes, it does feel good to accomplish things, to check something off the to-do list. This is my typical day off.
Then Tuesday came, and it was different. I still had things to do. I needed to pack (for my personal retreat was starting later that day), get my son to school, go to the grocery, and later take a son to an appointment. However everything was different. Let me explain:
First, there was no pressure of time. Usually time dictates or has its demands upon us. However, on Tuesday all that was gone. Yes, I had my to-do list, but the clock only lightly ordered my day. In fact, as I was driving to the grocery, I decided to detour to Seven Brew and buy my wife a treat because I had the time, and she is worth it. It has been too long since time felt like a gift. Sabbath is God’s gift of time, and I had not felt that Sabbath gift in way too long. In some ways you step out of the demands of time so that you can enjoy the gift of time with God, things you love like creation (it was a beautiful day), and family/friends. My normal days off are productive and enjoyable, but they are not Sabbath. My normal days off feel like a mixture of recovery and getting things done that need to be done. God thank you for reminding me of the gift of time. We truly have all the time in the world to enjoy God’s gifts.
Secondly, As I was driving around there was a weight, a mantle gone. Life seemed much lighter. The weight/mantle that was gone is an important weight to bear. It is called responsibility. To live a good life, there is responsibility, and I like the idea of it being a mantle because it is a calling that we bear. By God, we have the responsibility to care for one another, family, friends, strangers, and those in need and overlooked by society. It’s the mantle of love, and washing each other’s feet. The mantle can pile up in good and necessary ways like marriage, parenting, friends, jobs, neighbors, and living as a disciple of Christ. It would be irresponsible to not carry this weight.
However, one day a week, on Sabbath, we are to let the weight of responsibility go, or more precisely give it back to God, and remember it is our part in God’s mantle that we carry. Without this act of Sabbath, we can take too much ownership of responsibility. This leads to unintended consequences and harm potentially to ourselves and others. Sabbath is a day to remember that God is God and all rests in God’s hands. It’s a day to remember what responsibility truly looks like, as we look to Christ, and his great love for the world. Didn’t Jesus carry responsibility/the mantle differently than us? There is no force, coercion, or manipulative violence in Jesus. To get things done, things we are certain need to be done, we often turn to these tools that Jesus left behind. In Sabbath, we learn to carry responsibility like Jesus. We are not solely responsible to fix even as we are called to participate and serve. Plus, a good practice of Sabbath can help us discern the extra load that we throw upon ourselves. We all can do it, add extra things to our plate and the weight on our shoulders. Are some things that we try and carry just us overloading ourselves and not of God?
However, one day a week, on Sabbath, we are to let the weight of responsibility go, or more precisely give it back to God, and remember it is our part in God’s mantle that we carry. Without this act of Sabbath, we can take too much ownership of responsibility. This leads to unintended consequences and harm potentially to ourselves and others. Sabbath is a day to remember that God is God and all rests in God’s hands. It’s a day to remember what responsibility truly looks like, as we look to Christ, and his great love for the world. Didn’t Jesus carry responsibility/the mantle differently than us? There is no force, coercion, or manipulative violence in Jesus. To get things done, things we are certain need to be done, we often turn to these tools that Jesus left behind. In Sabbath, we learn to carry responsibility like Jesus. We are not solely responsible to fix even as we are called to participate and serve. Plus, a good practice of Sabbath can help us discern the extra load that we throw upon ourselves. We all can do it, add extra things to our plate and the weight on our shoulders. Are some things that we try and carry just us overloading ourselves and not of God?
One final note on Sabbath and responsibility. Jesus reminds us that Sabbath was created for humans and not humans for the Sabbath. Sabbath is not meant to be another rule to control our time or another responsibility that we are meant to burden ourselves with. Sabbath is the gift of time where responsibility and the mantle we carry gets readjusted to the right load and weight. Jesus got in trouble for “working on the Sabbath.” Sabbath is not an excuse to ignore the responsibilities of the world. Remember Jesus healed on the Sabbath and reminded his listeners that they would also pull their oxen out of the ditch even if it was the Sabbath. Sabbath was made for humans and not humans for the Sabbath.
What a gift Tuesday was, and I had not yet even left for my personal retreat. Now, I am on my retreat and remembering more and more that time is a gift. I don’t want it to pass too quickly. The responsibility of love is a gift, that I hope to cherish and not be weighed down by. God, life, creation, and each other in our lives are wonderful gifts from God.
Here are pictures from Lincoln State Park in Southern Indiana:
Here are pictures from Lincoln State Park in Southern Indiana:
