Finding the Uncommon Thread
What does the Sabbath mean to you?
Next week, we will discover what it means to a group of teenagers from three faiths. They will share with us their understanding, their beliefs and traditions.
Perhaps we will ask, did God create a day of rest for us or for himself?
Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." - Mark 2:27-28
In today's reading, Jesus flexes his muscles a bit and the Pharisees take notice.
He is telling them they have their thinking all wrong when it comes to the meaning and importance of the day God gave humankind, the Sabbath. He goes farther down that path by adding that he reigns over that day.
These are not words that will bring people together in harmony, but that doesn't mean we should tip-toe around them and avoid the unpleasantness of them for other faiths and for traditionalists in ours.
We tend to do that, don't we? We avoid the unpleasant and try to stay focused on the common thread, the place where we can all agree.
The problem with that is: what happens when there is no common thread?
Jesus often threw us into that place where the common became uncomfortable and the uncommon became the new reality.
If we believe that Jesus is God on earth, then we believe that lesson comes from God, a reminder that we are His and He wants all this for us.
Why would He create us if not for His pleasure and ours?
So, I think the lesson here is shockingly simple. Take your day of rest and enjoy it as a gift from God.
When we do that, however, we should remember that it is a gift and we should give thanks to the one who gave it to us.
That's the part we tend to forget. That's what all the rituals and traditions are designed for. They make us pause and take notice of the day as a gift.
We tend to forget that too, though. I think that is what Jesus was talking about. Praise God on this day, but get real about it. recognize the day for what it is and let all you do on this day be for His glory, not yours.
That is the uncommon thread I see in the Sabbath. If only we can all agree to accept the fact that we will not always agree, we could go ahead and enjoy our gifts together.
Well, maybe the kids will have a better way of bringing the Sabbaths to life for us. Let us pray.
More to come...