Allowing God to Catch Us
Paula Killough
How was your weekend, or day off, or spring break? This is the question
many of us ask or are asked on Monday mornings. The normal response is to
recount everything that you did between the end of one work or school week
and the beginning of the next. The expectation is that we have been just
as
busy in our leisure time as we are during work or school.
In this relentless busyness of life in
seem to have lost the natural rhythm between work and rest. Our culture
supposes that action and accomplishment are better than rest, that doing
something - anything - is better than doing nothing. Because of societal
urges to succeed, to meet the expectations and pressures of our work driven
culture - we do not rest.
Wayne Muller, in his book Sabbath - Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in Our
Daily Lives, offers that many of us are actually waging war in our search
for a successful life. Muller states that we are doing violence to our
bodies by pushing them beyond their limits, war on our spirits because we
are too preoccupied to stop and listen to the quiet voice that seeks to
nourish us, and violence to our earth because we do not take the time to
place our feet solidly on the ground and allow it to feed us.
Speaking for myself, I know that when I do not take time for rest and
reflection, the lack colors everything "good" I try to do. When
I am not
grounded in the Holy One, I am not fully able to respond to others in their
joy or their suffering. My levels of stress and anxiety go up, and I find
myself unable to see God's presence, I feel hopeless, my mind chatters on.
I have read that the Chinese character for the word "busy" is
actually
composed of two other characters - heart and killing.
Thomas Merton once wrote that even doing God's work in the world, if done
without the balance of Sabbath rest will have the undesired effects of
"heart killing."
Merton quote:
"There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence.(and that is) activism
and overwork.. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps
the
most common form, of its innate violence.
To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns,
to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to
want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence.
The frenzy of our activism neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys
our
own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own
work,
because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful."
This quote has been very difficult for me to hear. There is so much need;
so much I want to do. How can that not be what God wants for me?
But I also know that God wants me to care for the soul, mind and body that
are my gift. I know that I will not be able to fully enter into the
spirit
journey unless I am stopping frequently to get my grounding and direction
from the God of love. I would offer that this is the Sabbath way -
a
journey toward God, toward love, toward hope, toward wholeness for ourselves
and our world.
I am defining this Sabbath way as Holy Rest, as creating space for God - not
a specific day or time but any time spent with God. Sometimes
"clearing"
space in our lives for God is difficult work. We are constantly
confronted
by temptations and powers that want to fill the space we are trying to make
for God. But we need this space - this time and energy - devoted to God
for
our very survival.
The Sabbath way is about learning to say no to our busyness and allowing God
to guide us toward finding "God space." This is the way of
Jesus; this is
real life full of energy and fun, life lived abundantly in love.
Sabbath time and God space are contradictory to our achievement- based
society and our culture of anxiety. This is culture longing for control -
the ability to achieve security and to quell fear through control,
accomplishment, or escape.
What if we lived out of God's love? Trusting in God that the powerful spirit
is working through our stillness? Thru contemplation, presence,
creativity,
awareness, and questions?
Then achievement will become ministry, and escape will become the
Sabbath.the Sabbath of rest, receiving, rejoicing and restoration.
These are the 4 components of Sabbath Keeping we will examine today.
The primary element of Sabbath is rest.
This is time to stop and catch your breath, breathing in the breath of God.
Sabbath rest is stopping to take the time to experience God and to recognize
our dependence on God.
In Genesis, God gave us the example of a natural pattern or rhythm of life
in work and rest. God stopped on the 7th day to reflect on the work that
had been completed. God set aside and hallowed the Sabbath - made it
special and different from the other days. This was a time of rest,
renewal, reflection and silent contemplation.
We will not be able to hear the still small voice of God until we rest in
silence. There are times when I am fearful or hesitant to be
silent. I am
not ready or prepared to face what God may have for me there. Perhaps you
have felt this way also or you might have been concerned that you wouldn't
experience anything in the silence. At such times I am reminded of the
wise
words once offered to me, "Be gentle with yourself." God
longs for us as
we long for God - even the desire, the longing itself makes a connection
with God.
Practical examples of Sabbath rest are:
Spend a short time each day reading scripture
Take a nap
Drive w/ the radio and cell phone off
Work w/ your shoes off - take time to stretch
Learn centering prayer
Go to a museum and look at works of art in silence
The second element of Sabbath time is receiving.
God has told us that we are fashioned in the divine image and are beloved.
Stop and take time to observe all that you have been given. Offer
blessings
to God for those who have supported you on your journey.
As Mennonites we need to reclaim the 16th century Anabaptist concept of
Gelassenheit or yieldedness. This was an attitude of openness, of waiting
to receive an inward awareness of the mind of Christ. Quaker Isaac
Pennington described the experience as, "to know Christ so as to receive
life from him, and to live life in him and in the spirit - this has been the
single desire of our souls." This resonates for me - simply slowing
down
and waiting in order to be aware of the Christ praying within. God
created
us and found us to be good - if I slow down in an attitude of openness, God
may actually catch me.
Psalm 37 contrasts those who embrace the current culture and Sabbath people:
Current culture people are seeking every new thing and are successful as
defined by the society.
Sabbath people enjoy safe pastures
Delight in the Lord
Shine like the dawn
The psalmist cautions us to be still before the Lord and wait patiently - to
wait to receive what word, comfort, challenge, or idea is waiting for us in
the silence.
Examples of Sabbath receiving are:
Take a retreat day at a local monastery or retreat center
When you awaken, lie very still and take time to review your dreams
Take a silent walk or hike
Rejoicing
Why did God rest on the 7th day? I am sure God was not tired, but it
seems
that God took time to marvel at the wondrous world he had created! To
rejoice and celebrate the splendor of creation. Rejoicing is the next
element of keeping Sabbath.
We can rejoice with God when we slow down and discover abundant joy in life'
s simple things. This is counter cultural - we live in a society of
speed:
fast cars, fast computers, instant messaging, DSL and wireless web access,
cell phones - it goes on and on.life seems to move faster and faster. Often
we view our busyness as an accomplishment. God wants us to slow down and
celebrate the amazing world and relationships we have been given. This
means changing what we value - not tuning into the messages calling us to do
more - but tuning into the bird's song, the baby's laugh, your coworker's
smile.
In today's Mark passage we are called to celebrate Sabbath. The Sabbath
is
a gift from the God who is yearning for an intimacy beyond our
comprehension. May we rejoice in it!
Practical examples of Sabbath joy are:
Set aside one evening a week for a Sabbath meal - invite a friend, light
candles, say prayers of blessing and gratitude. Celebrate!
Spend one afternoon as a family, have no schedule, play board games, nap,
take walks.
Read or enjoy a hobby you have neglected or yearned to begin.
Restoration
The final aspect of Sabbath is restoration. We are to practice
Sabbath in
order to restore ourselves to a more perfect relationship with our God.
From the wholeness of Sabbath human relationships will also be reconciled.
From our position of Sabbath power, others will be impacted beyond our
comprehension! By freeing ourselves and giving others permission to stop,
change will come. St. Seraphim of Sarov said, "If you alone find
inner
peace, thousands around you will be saved." All that we really have
to
offer to another is what is found in the Sabbath place of our heart.
Practical examples of restoration are:
When presented with a friend's dilemma, pray together rather than discussing
the issue
Meditate on forgiveness
Look for opportunities to consume less
We cannot be wholly Sabbath people until we learn to slow down. We will
not
fully have eyes to see or ears to hear until we look to God in silence for
direction and listen attentively for the voice calling our name. We will
not completely find rest and renewal until we leisurely lie down in the
green pasture of the soul and let God catch us.
Sabbath Prayer
Slow us down, O Lord
So we may "let the land lie fallow"
So we may take the time
To review your creation with Reverence
To see the needs of all Your family
To share with our brothers and sisters
To celebrate with them
The abundant life You offer
As we create Sabbath time in our own lives
And our communities.
Help us to become sensitive to
The rhythms of Your seasons
And to rest in the security
Of Your grace.
Amen.