Meditation for February 28, 2008
From The Rev. Peter A. Munson
Mark 6:6-7, 12-13, 30-31
6 Then he went about among the villages teaching. 7 He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and and gave them authority over the unclean spirits... 12 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13 They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them... 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
Resting in God - The Seventh Day
"For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat." Does this sound familiar? Does it sound like it could have been written in the year 2008? Is it difficult for you to find times during the week when everyone in your family sits down and eats dinner (or any meal) together? We sometimes like to think, "Times were a lot easier back in those days. Life was a lot less complicated. No cars. No technology. No email to answer." There is probably some truth there. But there has always been the temptation for people to be so caught up in working and providing for one's self and one's family, that they don't think they have time to even stop and breathe.
From early on, God seemed to know that we would be tempted to run around like crazy!
The fourth commandment states, "Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work - you, your son or your daughter... your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it." (Exodus 20:8-11)
Are you ever tempted to think that you must be working all the time? Does it seem to you that despite all the assurances that "our technology will save us time", we are striving to cram more and more into our days, and that people are working more than ever, and are running around more than ever?
I am going to keep this meditation shorter than usual, since I realize it may be difficult for you to even find time to read it! (Plus, I've had a really busy week, which is why this email is going out on Thursday, instead of on Wednesday!)
But I leave you with a few thoughts to ponder...
God made resting one of the "Top Ten Commandments." Does that tell you anything about what God thinks of rest?
We are told, "But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God." In other words, the seventh day is not just about getting all your errands and household chores done. It is a day to rest in God. It is a day when God is supposed to be the focus. It is a day to reconnect with God, so that you can be renewed, refueled, re-created, replenished - by a God who wants to refresh you and me. (Can you think of any other good "re-" words that fit with resting and sabbath?)
Jesus said to the twelve, on a number of occasions (like the one above from Mark 6), "Come away... and rest a while."
Are you getting enough rest in your life? Just as importantly, are your children getting enough rest, or are they dragging every morning because they are running around doing way too many things each day?
How would things be different in our nation if everyone took a day of sabbath rest, and that was honored just as highly as productivity is honored?
Isn't it - in the end - "productive" and even healthy to rest?
The seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. It's not ultimately just about you and your schedule. It's about making room for God in your life, too.
So, how much rest are your really getting? How are you spending your seventh day? Do some things need to be changed? How can you rest in God this week?
Maybe thinking about sabbath - and resting in God - can be part of our self-examination this Lent.