Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I hope this edition of our newsletter finds you well. I am continually amazed how fast time flies: how can we possibly find ourselves in July? Clearly, we must relish every moment of our lives and not let the things that need to be done remain undone! However, we must also find time to rest in God, to savor the beauty of the Creator’s work amongst us, and to enjoy being human. The balance between work and rest, between struggle and Sabbath, is a place of equilibrium that we, as Americans, tend to wrestle with more than other cultures. Our fight with the demon of busyness is often brought to the fore during the summer months: the mercury rises, causing us to want to slow down, the days are longer, providing more opportunity to be together in our neighborhoods, and yet, between our time at work, privacy fences, and the smart phones that surround many of us (I do love my new iPhone!) it is so easy for us to miss what God is doing around us, to forget to rest and to renew, and Sabbath, that we wither in the heat of life.
The Sabbath is vital to who God has made us to be and to become. If we truly believe that if we cease our work for one day a week, than the world will stop functioning without us, than we have made ourselves and our busyness into an idol. Yahweh is pretty clear about his feelings regarding idols. Our God dreams for us to be whole, fully integrated and balanced creatures. How can we become what God dreams for us if we never stop to listen for God? How can we find the peace that Christ promises us if we don’t trust God enough to rest, as he commands us to do?
You know, the Holy Spirit will move where she will. I am mostly greatful for that! My intent for this column was something entirely different, content-wise, than what it has become! If you are feeling out-of-balance these days, perhaps God’s calling you to reexamine your life in light of the Sabbath. There are at least two moral/theological documents that most of us produce: our budgets and our calendars. Take some time this summer, examine both of these documents and see if they really reflect what you believe, who you are, and, more importantly, who God is calling you to become! If these documents disappoint you: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Friends, time flies. Our time is, quite possibly, the most important gift we have, though, if we are to be honest, we ought to admit that it really isn’t ours to begin with. Before our very eyes, the seasons of our lives move forward and we find ourselves joined into the “endless line of splendor” as Wesley says. What will you do with this and the remaining seasons of your life?
Perhaps this summer would be a good time for a little Sabbath and reflection upon what God is calling you to become? Equally as important, the Sabbath is a day that reflects what the coming Reign of God will look like in its fullness. How would your life look if you lived in the reality of the coming Kingdom of God, a place where lions and lambs lay down together, where everyone has enough, where there is no more war, or hunger, or violence and abuse? How can you participate in what God is doing in this regard? How would living into this reality change who you are and how you live and treat others?
Our Jewish sisters greet one another with a beautiful phrase when the weekly observance of Sabbath begins: Shabbat Shalom. This beautiful, God-kissed phrase translates into English as Sabbath harmony, or Sabbath peace. My prayer for you this summer is for Shabbat Shalom! Have a blessed July, friends! I look forward to seeing you soon!
Grace and peace,
Rev. Joe Stobaugh
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