|
|
Rector's Reflection
1 Lent, Year C
February 21, 2010
One year in Rolling Fork, during lectionary Year B, I preached a sermon that featured the
following verses from Mark: "One sabbath [Jesus] was going through the grainfields; and as they
made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look,
why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" And he said to them, "Have you never
read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered
the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is
not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions." Then he said to
them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath..."
One of the points I was trying to make, in a part of the world that frequently works from
before the sun comes up until long after it sets, was that it is important for folks to take some
time to rest and refresh. The Delta even talks about 'sabbath time' when the ground is allowed to
rest before being asked to produce again. Scripture tells us that even God rested after all the
work He had done in creating the world and all that's in it. Evidently my point was not
particularly clear because one of my parishioners, on the way out of church, shook my hand and
then said, "So you're fussing at me for not coming to church every Sunday." I knew him well
enough to grab his lapels and shake him and say, "Are you serious? I was trying to give you
permission to catch your breath. I can't afford to have parishioners keeling over in the fields!"
Time to rest and recharge is essential to the human condition. If our appliances need to
be given a rest now and then, our bodies, minds, and souls certainly do. We need sabbath time to
give us the energy and the will to face the rest of a chaotic week or month or whatever time
period in which we are forced to operate.
We have just entered a period of time in the church year that is at least as counter-cultural
(if not more so) than Advent. Christians are bombarded with Christmas bargains for months
before the Feast of the Incarnation and we are likewise bombarded with stuffed bunnies,
chocolate eggs, and Peeps long before the Day of Resurrection. At the beginning of this past
Advent I said that I had decided not to cry out against the system... that I was willing to let
culture have the shopping as long as the Church had her Savior. I've pretty much come to the
same conclusion about Lent.
The Ash Wednesday liturgy includes an invitation that, among other things, explains
what Lent meant to the early Christians: "... a time in which converts to the faith were prepared
for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been
separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and
restored to the fellowship of the Church." It also invites us "to the observance of a holy Lent, by
self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and
meditating on God's holy Word."
I cannot tell you how many people run their Lenten plans past me—not usually for an
overt affirmation but for a sort of a nod of the head... that what they have decided to do for Lent
is acceptable. My brothers and sisters, your decisions about Lenten disciplines are between you
and God. I may have suggestions (Lord knows I always have those), but I don't have the
authority, the smarts, or the insight (or the nerve!) to tell you what your Lent should look like, but
one thing I do believe is that Lent gives you the opportunity to experience sabbath time... to set
aside some time for you and your soul to spend restorative time with God. And there is one more
thing I believe... that we shouldn't restrict sabbath time to a forty day period once a year. There
isn't a single area of our lives that won't benefit from some serious, deliberate time in prayer and
meditation... and a humble walk with God.
Susan+
|
