Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy...Exodus 20
Many ministers retire after a career of working on the Christian sabbath only to work part-time on the sabbbath. For some reason congregations want ministers to lead worship on Sunday, so retirees just keep on going, violating the Lord's Day. The goofy thing is that clergy are inclined to complain bitterly that Sunday's are now wide open for any activity and even churchy folk don't attend worship nearly as much anymore.
Sabbath-keeping isn't just a convention, it is a commandment according to scripture. Today we will hear the Ten Commandments and we will be reminded that this commandment is longer and more detailed than all the rest. You would think we would ask why, but we might be too busy doing other stuff to find out.
Of course I'm preaching on another commandment --honour your parents-- but I did go on a book hunt earlier this week, ferreting out the volumes I have in my library on the sabbath. I thought I had six but I found a seventh, which nicely corresponds with the notion of a seven-day week but also proves I have a serious book addiction.
The most recent acquisition is Walter Brueggeman's sabbath as resistance: Saying NO in the CULTURE OF NOW. Supposedly being a naysayer is not good, but an exception can be made for a day of rest, recovery, re-ordering, recapitulation...the R's could keep on rolling!
Here are the other titles:
The Sabbath Abraham Heschel
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly Marva J. Dawn
Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight Norman Wirzba
24/6 --a prescription for a healthier, happier life Matthew Sleeth MD
Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest Wayne Muller
The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time Judith Shulevitz
The authors are male and female, Jews and Christians, theologians, an ecologist, and a physician. They persuasively, eloquently, explore every possible reason for keeping the sabbath. If only we listened!
What are your thoughts on the "Godly no?"
I think we do need a day each week to re-create and get centred again, and focus on what is important in the bigger scheme of things ... but let's not get into silly nit-picking abut what is and is not allowed on the Sabbath.
ReplyDeleteI must say I have never thought of a retired minister "working" on Sunday as a violation of the Lord's Day. I tend to agree with Judy re the nit picking re what is and isn't allowed on the Sabbath. I believe in setting aside a day in the week for centering, preferably Sunday but not always. We often observe Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas on a different day with our family as there is a nurse and doctor in the mix and shift work and long hours are the norm and the same for Sundays, often a work day for them.
ReplyDeleteI agree on avoiding the silly nit-picking Judy. We were warned when we moved to Nfld 35 years ago about the things we couldn't do on Sundays -- as if I had time with three services!
ReplyDeleteI know that might sound odd Doreen, yet clergy spend a career without benefit of worshipping with others (we really can't when we are leading,) then often immediately choose to enter into that pattern after retirement. I think the key to Sabbath is intention, and not believing we are indispensable. If God takes Sabbath time, we should as well.