Receiving the Day
Today I didn't work hard. I did not save any souls that I'm aware of. And, if you define ministry through a narrow lens, I guess I didn't do any of that either. But, I got to go on a ferry ride. I drove a 4x4 on the pristine beaches of Ocracoke Island and looked for shells with my son Jackson. We even found a sand dollar in almost perfect condition. You should have saw the look on his eyes as he discovered this rare ocean artifact. I had a great bowl of Seafood Gumbo for lunch and topped off the afternoon with icecream. It was fun watching Kate eat a chocolate cone in a big rocking chair. Her smile was huge...and her belly was even bigger when she had finished her treat. Yea, I guess this wasn't a "productive" day by some people's standards. But, the cool thing is that I fulfilled a divine mandate yesterday. I truly rested. I experienced what few folks and even fewer ministers experience on Sundays, or any other day for that matter...sabbath.
One of the cultural sins of our time is that we are a people who do not understand the gift of Sabbath. The Jewish scholar Abraham Heschel speaks of our need to "sancitify time". Most of us have learned to run and run as if we are continually racing against time. I think we have stripped time of its sacred quality. Time has become only that which we "use" to get things done. It has become a necessary evil that we are forced to compete against daily. Even our recreational lives and down-time becomes stressful because of how we race against the clock.
But time is more than something we use. I think God intended us to view time as a precious gift. Time is not something that we have to chase down and pursue or constantly catch up with. It does not allude us. It is presently available to us in each moment. What a cool gift.
It's the spirit of Sabbath that allows us to receive each moment as gift given to us by the Giver of All Good Gifts (which is a great name for God!).
Yesterday, I recieved the day as a gift. I went into my day with a sabbath mindset. And, I received the day. And, in receiving the day, I received something deep and satisfying from my Lord. What a special day it was.
A great book on this topic that I read within the last year is Receiving the Day by Dorothy Bass. If you struggle with Sabbath keeping and continually standing against time instead of living in harmony with it...this is a must read.
http://www.amazon.com/Receiving-Day-Christian-Practices-Opening/dp/0787956473
If you haven't received the gift of Sabbath, remember God has made it available. Embrace it.
One of the cultural sins of our time is that we are a people who do not understand the gift of Sabbath. The Jewish scholar Abraham Heschel speaks of our need to "sancitify time". Most of us have learned to run and run as if we are continually racing against time. I think we have stripped time of its sacred quality. Time has become only that which we "use" to get things done. It has become a necessary evil that we are forced to compete against daily. Even our recreational lives and down-time becomes stressful because of how we race against the clock.
But time is more than something we use. I think God intended us to view time as a precious gift. Time is not something that we have to chase down and pursue or constantly catch up with. It does not allude us. It is presently available to us in each moment. What a cool gift.
It's the spirit of Sabbath that allows us to receive each moment as gift given to us by the Giver of All Good Gifts (which is a great name for God!).
Yesterday, I recieved the day as a gift. I went into my day with a sabbath mindset. And, I received the day. And, in receiving the day, I received something deep and satisfying from my Lord. What a special day it was.
A great book on this topic that I read within the last year is Receiving the Day by Dorothy Bass. If you struggle with Sabbath keeping and continually standing against time instead of living in harmony with it...this is a must read.
http://www.amazon.com/Receiving-Day-Christian-Practices-Opening/dp/0787956473
If you haven't received the gift of Sabbath, remember God has made it available. Embrace it.
posted by Heath at
1:43 PM
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