Dining Alone

Last night we chose to dine alone.

It was an obvious choice for us, really, having grown accustomed to devoting our time together over dinner as just that, time together.

Unlike many couples and families we observe staring at their cell phones throughout the meal, we actually enjoy talking to each other, recapping the day, planning the rest of the evening and sharing our joys and sorrows over a glass of wine.

We are simple people.  

Yet, this morning, as I struggled to connect to the Internet while our cruise ship is at sea, it occurred to me that we are not alone.  We are in a world apart from the world, on board a ship with thousands of other passengers.  And in some ways, this is a metaphor for life.

Today's reading, which I had trouble copying while briefly connected to the apparently not so World Wide Web, is all about Jesus and his disciples being rebuked for enjoying the fruits of the field on the Sabbath.  Is there a connection?

At first, it may not seem like this reading has anything to do with taking a cruise to see the glaciers on the Inside Passage in Alaska, but fear not.  I will find a way.

For three days prior to boarding the ship yesterday, we toured Denali National Park.  We traveled by bus and train and got to meet a few people here and there, people who are now on board ship with us.  Now the interesting thing about taking a tour is that it is all about experiencing the sights and not about meeting people and making friends.

But before the ship left the pier, all of us were summoned to attend a mandatory meeting where we learned how to don life vests and what to do in an emergency.  At that moment, the message was clear.  We are all in this together.  We are not alone, nor can we act as if we are.

So, we can spend our time aboard ship taking in the sights and sipping our wine without engaging with anyone, or we can choose to experience those sights in the company of new acquaintances.  

So, here is the oddball connection I made with the insistence of the Pharisees that the Sabbath is sacred.

When we choose to experience God's creation alone, pretending the world around us is ours for entertainment and personal use, we are building our own rule structure, our own norms of behavior, setting ourselves apart.

But when we reach out and touch what God has made and share it with those around us, we are embracing fellowship and love, giving them priority over our norms and comforts and desires.

Jesus taught us to be here for each other.  We may have chosen to take this trip to be close to nature, to experience the wonders of God's creation up close, but in doing so, we are up close with others who are doing the same.  Maybe we should share the table with them and come away with two experiences rather than one.

So, let us enjoy the Sabbath together.  Let us reach out and touch the world and share in its bounty, for this day was made for us, and God wants us to get to know each other the way He knows us.

How's that?

Now let me see if I can upload this to the outside world.  

More to come...