Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing
– Luke 4:16-21
I’m writing this post early on ‘election day’. The polls are not open yet, but I voted early so no worries on my end. I hope you voted. It is a ‘holy’ task as this is the process by which we elect others to represent us in this thing we call government. It’s not the perfect way obviously, but it’s better than any or all of us walking around with baseball bats swinging at each other to get our way… even though sometimes it feels like that’s what has been happening… as every time I turn on the TV or open my laptop or look at my iPhone I get bashed with another political ad telling me how terrible the other candidate is so I will vote for him or her. How good it will be to see a toothpaste commercial again. “Thanks be to God” I might even shout! It’s time to take a break… a Sabbath rest!
The gospel writer Luke was not a firsthand observer of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Instead, he went around asking questions to those who were and wrote down as much as they could remember. This is one …
Sabbath is not just a gift of God. It is a command. And while most folks think ‘remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy’ means ‘go to church’… That’s actually not the commandment (though worship is certainly part of it!).
The commandment is to remember that humans are not just meant to be producers and consumers. That’s a capitalistic way of thinking by our culture we’ve imposed upon God’s economic goals. The commandment reminds us that we are worthy. And worth something in this life, not because we produce, but because we are produced by a God who makes us worthy.
In other words, when we think of how we steward time, it’s important to plan fallow time in there. Vacation. Sabbath. Welcomed rest. God has given it not just as a gift… but as a commandment. It can be both. It must be! Our lives really depend on it!
So how are we encouraging others and ourselves to take advantage of sabbath time? Do we practice this idea? In a way which can be helpful to many?
Historically, in the Fall of the year many churches and synagogues and other religious institutions hail this as ‘stewardship’ time… the season where each of us considers how God has gifted us with our time and abilities and how that time and those abilities can be used and shared for the benefit of those nearby. Even if one is not part of a church, it can be said that all of us have ways to make the world better and ought not hide that light under a bushel basket as Jesus once uttered.
‘Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath… as was his custom’… Luke reported. A habit Jesus held on to in order to honor God the keeper of all time and whose clock never ends… working hard as an itinerant teacher who went from town to town telling anyone with ears to hear about the ways of God… and sometimes I wish those political ads sounded more like Jesus reading the scroll of Isaiah, too! Faith matters! Let’s all take a break!
