B Proper 11 BFC
2015
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
July 19, 2015
So I come back from vacation a
little bit more energized and ready to go.
But there was a time . . . I was home for lunch and had been thinking
all morning about what I was going to eat.
I had made some spaghetti the night before with red and yellow bell
peppers and lots of onion, and there was leftover garlic bread, which I think
is a little better a day old, heated up.
We had many vegetables so I chopped up some cucumber, some celery, some
carrots, sliced up a nice tomato from Lucky’s, tore off some red cabbage, and
mixed in some spring greens. I had some
sparkling water poured over ice. The
spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread were ready.
Tracy
That’s right, my much anticipated
lunch, ruined by pouring the salad dressing on my spaghetti instead of the
salad. Now, when this happened, Mike (a)
threw the plate against the wall, in a fit of rage, his lunch ruined; (b)
glumly ate the spaghetti, trying to convince himself that it would add flavor
or (c) emptied out the spaghetti infested with salad-dressing, calmly retrieved
more spaghetti, heated up the pristine spaghetti, and then, this time,
adroitly, added the salad dressing to the salad.
Maybe you are not as much of a nitwit
as I am, but we all have those daily little frustrations or interruptions
brought on by unforeseen circumstances, the guy down the hall, the classmate we
always try to avoid, those we love, or even ourselves. When we are our best selves, these
frustrations or interruptions appear as nothing but bumps in the road,
sometimes even drawing attention to something in life that rightly asks about
our priorities or directions. We receive
them and walk undeterred or stop and say, “Ah, but of course, I realize I should
have been paying more attention.” But
when we are not our best selves, these frustrations and interruptions can
appear as boulders in the road, seemingly placed in our lives to suck all the
life and joy and goodness and mercy and love and compassion. Why, it is as if that boulder has God’s name
on it, placed right there to create chaos and confuse us. (in a more and more anxious and desperate voice) It is as if God should have known that if the
darn salad bowl had been placed on the other side of my plate, which I always
do, I would have poured the salad dressing on the salad. Which, I didn’t. And now my perfect lunch is ruined! Ruined, I tell you! Why, God, why?
When life does press in on us, what
makes the difference between acting with the balance and freedom we would like
and the overreaction and silliness we later regret?
In the Judeo-Christian tradition,
spiritual practices are not only something that are intended for personal, day
to day life, but also intended to be a thread through systems and structures
and the way they are to hum and buzz and whirr in the world. The personal makes possible the work of
systems and structures. Systems and
structures make possible the personal. With
no spiritual practice is that interplay more true than the spiritual practice
of Sabbath-keeping.
God has given Sabbath and rest as
a cathedral in time such that we know when Sabbath and rest are not taken
seriously or given priority, we challenge the very will of God. Sabbath is intended to bring or restore
balance, give rhythm to our best selves.
Judaism has understood Sabbath or Shabbat as so central to its faith
such that the common phrase for its practice is “more than the Jews have kept
Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.”[1]
More than any other commandment, the
injunction to keep the Sabbath received the most Scriptural attention. Sabbath formed the basis for the Jewish focus
on social justice. Knowing that the
Jewish story begins with the exodus from slavery in Egypt
In one of the creation stories from
Genesis, God, as Creator of the Universe, practices Sabbath keeping. After creating the earth and all things in
it, God rests. God is not anxious about
it. God does not show up at the office. God
lets it be. Having spoken enough words
of wisdom, God . . . lets . . . it . . . be.
In ancient Jewish understanding, the
day began at dusk. That first creation
story has evening and then morning to delimit a day. So it is also significant that not only the
Sabbath, but every day began with a reminder that the world turns and the crops
grow and life moves on as the ancients would have begun to cease all activity
and enter into rest and sleep. God
encourages us to let it be.
Our Scripture passage begins today
with the apostles telling Jesus all that they had done on behalf of their movement. Jesus sent them out to do the things that he
had been doing. And when they rendezvous
to reflect, Jesus says to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by
yourselves so that we might eat and rest a while.” Though the work of the gospel requires much
demon-exorcising, people feeding, body healing, and good news teaching, Jesus
removes the disciples from the crowds and reminds them of the rhythm of
rest. So if there is a stop, a “no”, a
limit to gospel activity so clearly defined by the author of Mark, rest and
Sabbath rhythm most certainly are to be a part of those who also read the
gospel.
But not unlike many other gospel
practices, Sabbath keeping is deeply counter-cultural. If we needed any proof, we might remember the
story of the English runner, Eric Liddell, popularized in the movie, Chariots of Fire. Liddell loved to run, so much so, that his
sister upbraided him for his passion to run over and against his care for God. Liddell responds to his sister by saying, “I
believe that God made me for a purpose. But God also made me fast, and when I
run, I feel God’s pleasure." After
qualifying to represent Great
Britain Great
Britain
Eric Liddell’s story is one that
honors his Christian faith at a time when faith was talked about more about
sticking to moral code and maxims for our personal journeys. What I want to invite us to in Sabbath keeping
are community practices and rhythms that create an opening for our balance and
freedom in everyday life. That, as I
understand it, is the process of being church.
We recognize that it is foolish to
practice Sabbath keeping alone. We need
others who are keeping and practicing these alternative rhythms so that we have
hope, so that we know we are not alone.
The systems and structures of this world tell us we are “incompetent
underachievers”[3], told
that we are “worthless” to keep us working harder[4] so
that we are kept forever at work, forever looking for work, or forever chiding
ourselves because the system has spit us out with hints that “if we had worked
harder. . . .” But if we ever looked at
the system and structures to ask if something is wrong with them,
we might demand transformation and justice.
And that is the last thing the systems and structures want—for us to
have the time to rest and reflect. They
want to maintain the status quo with us never believing we deserve Sabbath and
rest, believing that people who get or demand Sabbath and rest are “incompetent
underachievers” themselves—like those lazy Greeks, or, more recently, those
dirty Puerto Ricans. We get labeled a
derisive adjective if we seek Sabbath or rest.
So if we are to find space or
wiggle room for Sabbath and rest, we must covenant that we will work on this
together, learn from each other, and learn from the examples of others. Life is hard.
It can be agony just to get through the day. Spiritual teacher Ram Dass has said that,
“ultimately we’re all just walking each other home.”[5] So part of walking each other home is looking
out for those close to us, or in our community who might need Sabbath: the child who needs to play hooky just to
deal with the hormones, practice the instrument more, run harder in the
athletic practice, spend more time with family, keep up with the friends, all
of these expectations that threaten to rip them apart; or the family going
through the constant tear of divorce; the single parent who always has to be
“on” with job and kids and romance, what’s that?; the spouse or family member
who needs a break as aging or illness changes the very nature of someone they
love; any person or family who must sit in the midst of tragedy or death. How
can we not only be people who receive the grace of Sabbath ourselves but also extend
it others we must know are tattered and worn by their daily lives? How can we do that so we all know that God
intends our freedom and joy?
Dorothy Bass, in her book, Receiving the Day, writes of a Jewish
professional couple, one of them an attorney and the other a hospital
administrator, who practice Shabbat each week with their children—a day set
aside. They warn each of their employers
of this firm commitment within their family.
They do not allow this day to be invaded. Bass also knows of another couple from New York
At the different Shabbat services
offered by a Jewish synagogue in Los Angeles[7],
one of the services is followed, I kid you not, by learning, schmoozing, and
drinking scotch. After another service,
there is a dinner where the congregation is encouraged to start a conversation,
a romance, to relax, and to not have to worry about the dishes. A summer Shabbat in this congregation meets
in a nearby park, starting with a picnic, followed up by the service on Friday
evening. There is a sweet tot Shabbat
where children under 5 are particularly invited and it is followed by a family
meal. Food, romance, scotch, picnics,
learning, food, and family. All of this
is to remember, to repeat again and again, that it is incumbent on every Jew to
leave the slavery of Egypt
I’m a little verklemmt by all of this Shabbat practice, and, I’ll admit, I kind
of want to be Jewish.
These are spiritual practices lodged
in a particular day during the week.
Some of us may very well be able to make a particular day part of our
regular Sabbath and rest rhythm. But I
know that there are others whose multiple schedules do not allow for one whole
day, particularly a Sunday. Part of
being intentional about Sabbath practice is to begin working within our
peculiar schedule and then expand out. To
help, I have made available outside the sanctuary a handout from the Center for
A New American Dream for helping our children and families to establish Sabbath
keeping and how we can raise humans and not consumers.[9] If you believe you need help or know of
someone who does need help with Sabbath keeping, this might be a good start.
Again, start small. Do small things persistently and
consistently. Stop, say “no”, let the
limits be a form of God’s care to uphold and encircle you.
Here is where we may begin. First and foremost for those rhythms are our
sleep patterns. Regular sleep at regular
times helps establish our Sabbath rhythms.
Right now my daughter is laughing, doubled-over, because she knows I
rarely get regular sleep with any regular patterns. I am terrible at this practice and it robs me
of so much life with my family and during my waking time. Naps with a regular rhythm could be a part of
good Sabbath and rest. Meanwhile, I’m
just all over the board. And it is
something I need to improve on to be faithful.
Because sleep and sleep patterns are important for Sabbath keeping.
Next, find a day and maybe a time when
all of the electronics are off so that you can engage yourself, engage others,
and engage God in Sabbath keeping. Don’t
check e-mail. Turn off the phones. Don’t update Facebook. Keep the TV off. Leave the text. Return the phone call for a later time. Gaze harder and more longingly and more
intensely in the eyes of another at the beauty of God’s creation.
Maybe
you have to start even smaller. If you
can do it for five minutes in one day, intentionally, see how it can begin to
transform you. As you see the intention
move you and bring good to you, extend the time to an intentional half an
hour. Leave it at that place for several
weeks. If you begin to bristle at a half
an hour, know that it is your boredom seeking your creativity and life within
that half hour. One person, in
recognizing that God did not want them enslaved by time in their Sabbath
practice, kept all time pieces out of their sight. If you get really adventurous, sit down and
read the gospel of Mark for your Sabbath time every week. It takes about an hour to read from beginning
to end.
Pick a day during the week and do not
shop during that day. We are told that
all we are is consumers and that is how the numbers are run. Refused to be enslaved by that title. Choose your freedom as a Child of God to be
something larger, grander, and incredibly more powerful. The world still spins, the crops still grow,
and life goes on without you making a purchase on a given day. We have the freedom to do that.
Those are a few possibilities you may
want to begin. You may already have
those practices, far better outlined than what I have suggested. Talk about them with others. Learn, create, and share how we might keep
the Sabbath as a church community. What
Sabbath practice, if you knew everybody in your church community was attempting
to do or doing on a given day of the week, would you agree to do? You know how folks who do regular work outs
have weightlifting buddies? Why would we
not be the working partners in Sabbath keeping for each other?
Not all of us drink Scotch and some of
us are in recovery, so let’s move on and find another. Seriously, talk about it. How are we going to show ourselves as a
Christian community by keeping Sabbath practice together?
Back to my infamous lunch story. If you chose option B in the church office
pool, you were correct. Mike glumly ate
his spaghetti trying to convince himself that the Caesar salad-dressing added
something to the taste. Probably in my
lack of sleep, I thought that I “had” to eat the tainted spaghetti when, if I
had had the energy I could have taken the two minutes to get more spaghetti out
of the fridge. But I was a slave to my
own sleeping stupor.
We do not need to be enslaved. Hold the thought of Sabbath and rest and
making that an intentional practice for you and our community. Look out into the world and in your mind’s
eye, think of those people who need that rest and Sabbath. Who are those people struggling for their
freedom in rest, to leave Egypt
Shabbat is so much more than a day of rest. It is a day of reconnecting with our deepest
dreams for our world and our own lives.
Shabbat becomes the holy time that saves us from falling into despair
when everything seems to be crumbling beneath us, when the light in our lives
seems to be eclipsed in darkness. It
comes to remind us that love will ultimately triumph over loneliness,
understanding over violence, dignity over degradation. Through praying, singing, talking, walking,
dreaming, and sleeping we fortify the part of ourselves that knows that things
can be better; we reawaken the part of ourselves that may have forgotten that
we are more than our work, our conflicts, our fears, or our inbox.[10]
Our personal practice of seeking
our release from enslavement then, becomes a microcosm for the release of our
neighbors, the release of our community, and the release of the whole
world. And as we continue to practice,
we get in a rhythm that is God’s rhythm and dream for the whole world. I think author and theologian Anne Lamott had
a handle on what it might mean for the world to experience Sabbath when she
wrote, “The world is always going to be dangerous, and people get badly banged
up, but how can there be more meaning than helping one another stand up in a
wind and stay warm?[11] Love bats last.”[12] Do not take the bat out of its hand by
forgetting God’s will for your rest and re-creation. That’s the rhythm and the dream for us. That’s God’s rhythm and dream for the
world. Then, thanks be to God for the rhythm
and dream. Thanks be to God. Amen.
[1] Dorothy C. Bass, Receiving the Day: Christian
Practices for Opening the Gift of Time (San Francisco , CA
[4] Recent references made by Presidential candidate Jeb Bush to increase
the work week show an incredible display of ignorance about how hard poor and
middle-class Americans are working. This
video from Agnes Török, https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=180&v=kiaxHUFAWew, explains poetically, mythically, and
factually what is going on with Greece.
[5] Anne Lamott, Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair (New
York: Riverhead Books, 2013), p. 6
[6] Bass, Receiving
the Day.
[8] Rabbi Sharon Brous and Aaron Alexander, “Shabbat
and the Possibility of Transformation,” Walking
with the Jewish Calendar, (Bel Air, CA:
The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, 2010), p 16, quoting Slonimer
Rebbe.
[9]You can either submit your email address to the
Center for a New American Dream here: http://act.newdream.org/page/s/kids-unbranded-action-kit or go to my Google Drive account to download it
here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-mqpxU5ShnQVVZScDBqaVlXVU0/view?usp=sharing. The Center
for a New American Dream is wonderful at working to build a new cooperative,
community-building world.
[11] Lamott, Stitches,
p. 72
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