Good Sunday morning! The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 As I began this – my 100th Good Sunday Morning musing – Jim and I were flying from Naples, Florida, to Detroit, Michigan, where we rented a car to drive to Ohio. My mothers 91st birthday is on the short list of reasons to venture from balmy weather to the land of puffy coats. Not surprisingly, the flight was half empty. In a perfect world, Id have written this in advance. Instead, with airport Internet, I quickly skimmed the past 99 musings posted each Sunday on two Facebook pages and my Good Sunday Morning blog. In 2012 I titled the blogs About page, Why Good Sunday Morning? followed by a two-word answer: Coming soon. This week, Ill finally take a stab at this. My first post using the words, Good Sunday Morning was intended to address a personal obedience issue. You dont have to be Christian to recognize that the world would be better if everyone followed the Ten Commandments. I once thought I was doing well with them. Years later I discovered my footing was not as sure as once believed. I reasoned that I hadnt failed the biggies. (At the time I was playing God, prioritizing the Commandments.) Thou shall not kill. Check. I carry house spiders to outdoor safety. (Still, what would I do if my family or homeland were attacked?) Thou shall not steal. Check. Why would I risk it? (Yet if my children were hungry, wouldt I do so in a heartbeat?) And so it was when I reviewed the Commandments, finding little actual temptation, except for my Waterloo: Remember the Sabbath day, by keeping it holy. - Exodus 20:8 ...On it you shall not do any work, neither you, not your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. - Exodus 20:10 ... So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning. - Exodus 16:23 To be honest, I dont think Ive kept this commandment in more than 3,000 Sundays. Its not that Ive been so terribly unholy on Sundays, but Ive been predominately secular. The commandment is not, Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy for two hours, and after church, go shopping. I once thought I could disregard the Old Testament. After all, Jesus ushered in the New Covenant and New Testament. The complication was that Jesus followed the Sabbath commandment. He pointed out the hypocrisy of legalism over the true spirit of it, and I hung on his words, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Over the objections of the Pharisees, Jesus performed healings and shared his teachings on the Lords day. He also permitted his followers to nibble from the harvest as they walked together in the countryside. From his words and examples we get a glimpse of a Sabbath different from that of contemporary culture. Its a day of worship, prayer, fellowship, rest, visiting loved ones (or the lonely, Ill, or imprisoned), contemplating things the workweek squeezes out, enjoying nature and other pursuits that provide restoration. And this Sabbath requires respite for far more people than those experiencing it in our current seven–day–a-week culture. It sounds quaint if not crazy to many, but not everyone. Scottish Olympian Eric Liddell famously refused to compete in his best event, the 100 meter race, in the 1924 Olympics, because he would have had to run on Sunday. His decision, memorialized in the film Chariots of Fire is probably more legendary then his subsequent gold medal win in the 400 meters. Alistair Begg, pastor of Parkside Church near Cleveland, talks about embracing the Sabbath as a gift when he was a student. He pursued his studies only six days a week, and did just fine. Beggs a strong proponent of the requirements and rewards of following the fourth commandment. Some businesses, such as Hobby Lobby, are closed on Sundays to provide their employees a Sabbath day of rest. Customers have accommodated. Within my memory Sundays, honored more broadly, were distinguished by worship and family traditions. If I had spent my Sundays as commanded, I know that I would be wiser, kinder, more accomplished, and better faith–equipped for both life and death. I started writing something entirely different from my weekday work on that first Good Sunday Morning as a small accommodation to the Sabbath. But a friend gently noted, Your writings still working. Indeed, regarding this challenging commandment and other faith matters, Im still inching toward obedience and Thy kingdom come. God knows I am a work in progress, and am profoundly grateful for His grace. Have a great week.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 11:00:26 +0000
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