Day Seventeen – January 14, 2020

Read: Mark 2:23-28 New Revised Standard Version 

Visual Liturgy:

Jesus says, “The sabbath was made for humankind”.  There was a news report on the radio last week about changing the laws to allow liquor stores to be open on Sundays.  It made me wonder what the original intention had been behind the law.  I suspect it was to honor Sunday as a day of religious observance.  As someone who does not drink alcohol, liquor stores being closed on Sundays doesn’t bother me or impact me.  But…..I did wonder how I would feel if it was Target closed on a Sunday, or if I could not do any online shopping on a Sunday.

There are 613 rules or commandments in the Torah, the Hebrew scripture.  The laws were put in place for good reasons.  But as often happens with us, we forget the spirit and intention behind the law, and instead focus on what we need to do to maintain the law and prevent other people from violating it.

What was the spirit behind the sabbath?  In the creation poem, God created the sabbath as a day of rest.  God knows that our bodies, our minds, our souls, need time to rest. 

I believe there is wisdom in keeping the sabbath.  I wouldn’t want to make any hard and fast rules, but I do wonder about trying some things;

 

How do you keep the sabbath?  What practices might you try?

 

Music:

Veni Sancte Spiritus – Taize

Be Still My Soul by Eclipse 6

 

Prayer Focus:

Focus on resting in God.

 

Grace and peace,
Pastor Karen Bruins