Looking for Sabbath
What does Sabbath mean to you?
On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. - Luke 23:56-24:1
Today's Gospel reading is about the discovery that the body of Jesus is not in the tomb, but it begins with a simple statement of the day before, the Sabbath.
Sabbath comes from the Greek word for rest, sabat, and we often think of taking a break or rest from work and other duties and responsibilities on that day.
In the Abrahamic faiths it is a day of prayer and worship, as it was for the Jews that day, the day that began after the death of the one they believed their Messiah or anointed one.
I can't imagine what that day was like. It had to be extremely sad, yes, but also filled with fear and uncertainty. Perhaps they were even questioning just who this Jesus was that God would let him be crucified.
The day that should be filled with the joy of God's presence in their lives suddenly turned empty and hollow. Where was God in all this?
One could get pedantic over this, delving through the details and reference material to explain away in words what the heart and soul have trouble grasping, but the problem at the source remains.
Why was His presence not felt? Why did He let this happen?
We find ourselves asking this question a lot. The news reports of killings, brutality, abductions, beatings, abuses, senseless acts of violence all drive us to the point of anger. Where are you, God?
Is that why people turn away from the church? Have we lost faith in faith?
Consider this. The people stopped after Jesus was killed and they observed the sabbath according to the commandment.
As painful as it was to turn to God and offer up all that had happened to Him, they did it. They stayed away and observed His commandment.
It sounds like a simple act, but it is hard work.
Look at how hard it is for us today, with so many things pulling us away from God. Our schedules and the schedules of our children and grandchildren conflict with a time for God. So, which do we choose?
The Gospel tells us that Jesus knew he would rise again after his death, but few understood what that meant, and we have no way of knowing how many actually believed it.
The ones closest to him, upon arriving at the tomb were surprised it was empty.
We need the sabbath. We need to take time to rest and put all things of this world aside, focusing on our relationship with God. It restores our souls.
We vacation to rest and to discover the wonders of this world. When we do, we plan for months, weeks before gaining in anticipation until we finally go. We work hard to take a rest, yet how do we prepare for the day each week that God has set aside for us?
In three weeks, a few of us will take a three day rest of sorts. We will go to the Jerusalem Peacebuilders and Kids4Peace Leadership Camp at Acer Farm in Brattleboro Vermont. There we will observe three days of Sabbath with the children of Abraham.
They will teach us the meaning of Sabbath and we will share that with you.
So, pray for the camp, pray for us and pray for the oily rest that is the day you set aside for God and God for you.
When we observe, we give ourselves a chance to be ready for all the wonders God has in store for us on the dawn of the new day. And like the women at the tomb, we will truly be amazed.
More to come...