Ordinary Time

Pause

Sabbath \ SA – bihth \ noun

A special day of resting that we think we’re bigger than, even though God is not.

from Crazy Talk: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Theological Terms (2008)

Listen

Jesus went through the wheat fields on the Sabbath. As the disciples made their way, they were picking the heads of wheat. The Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look! Why are they breaking the Sabbath law?”

Mark 2:23-24

Think

Approximately 1500 years had passed from the time of Moses and the Ten Commandments to the time of Jesus. That’s a long time! With those years came generations of commentary, discussion, rules, and policies put in place expounding on just what God intended about “keeping Sabbath.” These were earnest people trying to live their lives as they thought God intended, but as today’s scripture illustrates, sometimes the “rules” trumped the “spirit.”

That happens to the best of us, and it would be easy to throw up our hands and say, “This is pointless!” But living our lives in a way that celebrates the “spirit” of what God intended with Sabbath tells the story of God’s love for us far greater than adherence to any rigid rule dictating what Sabbath is or isn’t. Experiencing true Sabbath is so much more than what you do or do not do for a particular period of time. Let’s allow the Spirit guide us to better Sabbath!

Tony Vincent

Pray

Rather than asking “What specific rule must I follow?” to fully experience Sabbath, help me, God of rest, to ask “What does your love call me to do?” – and help me to do that. Amen.

Go

Words of life, words of hope
give us strength, help us cope;
in this world where’er we roam
God’s ancient words will guide us home.

from “Ancient Words” by Lynn Deshazo (2001)