Sabbath Created for Humans

There is a television show that I really enjoyed. It is called "New Amsterdam." The first three seasons were great, and then it went off the rails bringing in a villain rather than changing the system. What I liked about the show was that it really did look at the problems of our health care system, and never lost sight of who they serve, the patients and people that were coming through their hospital. Some of it was pie in the sky, but other episodes, when they tried to solve the opioid crisis, racism, and abortion access, they came up short. The main character, the chief of staff, Dr. Max Goodwin, no matter if he was talking to the Board of Directors, the janitor, or a patient, his first question was almost always, "How can I help?"

Too often in our society and throughout history, human institutions, including religious ones, have focused on right and wrong, rather than life and death. Often the right and wrong become focused on what is right for us and everything not right for us is wrong. This is truly found in the Bible, for example when the stories in Joshua says it is right for Israel to take over the land promised to them no matter what. All lives don't matter, just those of God's chosen. This is carried into our political arena today where Christian nationalists believe the rules are there to give them their rights, their privileges, and their power. It maybe Biblical, but it sure isn't the way of Christ, God's Kindom.

Jesus is early in his ministry, just one chapter away from being baptized in the Gospel of Mark. There were lots of laws and rules and practices in Judaism. Whereas many Christians believe in orthodoxy as the foundation of their faith, Judaism has mainly has functioned as a orthopraxy religion, that it is the actions that matter most, observing the Sabbath, covenant, doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with your God. What actions to follow and which to reframe from have been the ongoing dynamic of Judaism. So when Jesus feeds the disciples by pulling grain off of heads in the field, there were those who thought this practice was against the covenant with God. Doesn't matter the need or the circumstances, this was forbidden in the eyes of the Pharisees. Doesn't matter that the Pharisees themselves didn't follow every command and kosher practice, Jesus was wrong because he wasn't following them. Again, Jesus entered a synagogue, and there was a man with a withered hand. They watched what he would do. Again, it was the action that they were concerned about. I do imagine that Jesus asked, "How can I help?" The man asked for healing and Jesus told him to stretch out his hand and it was restored.

"Is it better to save a life or to kill?" Jesus asks. Then the Gospel writer has Jesus saving a life, and the Pharisees and the Herodians plotting on how to kill Jesus. Very stark in the difference of their goals and their aspirations. We cannot lump all Jews together as being against Jesus in his time, just as we cannot blame all Jews if we disagree or vehemently oppose what is happening in Gaza right now. Moses tells the Israeli people that God has set before them the ways of life and death and tells them to choose life. I will interpret this to talk about not just life for myself and my own, but the life of all people and the life of the planet itself. We can choose to heal, to feed, and challenge the systems that get in the way of people being helped and living life.

Sabbath is created for humans not the other way around, Jesus tells us. Sabbath is for rest and restoration and health. If we need food, eat. If someone is hungry, feed them. If someone is injured, heal them. If the system denies someone food, challenge it. If the system denies someone health, fix it. If the system kills, change it. For God so loves the world, that Jesus came to give us abundant life, not of material wealth, but of love and wonder and community. Jesus, in his actions. brings people together, always opening the door, setting another place at the table. May we follow this way of life in our world today. Amen.

Sabbath

In the Five Books of Moses where also known as the? (Pentateuch) What was the last thing written of the Pentateuch, the last story? Hint: it was a poem. (The First Creation Story) The Seven Day Creation Story was put in its final form, the first time it was written down was while the people of Israel were in the diaspora spread throughout the Babylonian Empire in the sixth century BCE. It became widely shared because the prophet Jeremiah told the people to marry amongst the people wherever they were at and to settle in. Yes one day, they would return to the towns and Jerusalem, but for now, continue to live. The people of the nation of Judah were there for about seventy years, so there were a couple of generations happening and their children and grandchildren were forgetting their language, their heritage, and their God. Then, the poem about God creating the world in seven days was used as a reminder, a balm, and a way to remember who and whose they were. It centered on the sabba...

For They Were Afraid

The Gospel of Mark starts with Jesus' baptism, there is no birthday story, no background, just jumps right in with his baptism, driven into the wilderness to be tempted, proclaims, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." Plucks Simon and Andrew up which they mend their fishing nets, heals Simon Peter's mother-in-law and she immediately gets up and serves them. (How many times does Mark use immediately?) And the next morning gets up early and while everyone is searching for him, he is heading to the next town. It is like a big movie opening that grabs everyone's attention and it doesn't slow down. Did you ever watch Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail? There was to be this final battle of King Arthur with his forces and the God's blessing and just as the battle commences, modern police show up and arrest everyone and the movie is over and we are left scratching out head, "What just happened?" The end of Mark is just as confusing,...

Covenant of the United Church of Christ

That they may all be one! This was the dream of the these different denominations and churches coming together in 1957. That they may all be one! While many denominations were splitting and continually finding reasons that they couldn't be siblings with those Christians over there, a group of mainline Protestant leaders came together that united and uniting was the future of the Church. Yes, it was mainly four major denominations which are: 1. Congregational 2. Christian 3. Reformed (German) and 4. Evangelical Synod (Lutheran). There were many other smaller groups that joined as well, that included Back, Native, and Hungarian. But if you look at the first General Synod picture, it was pretty much white, middle class men. With global communication becoming easier, travel, television, and the United Nations, they had a dream and vision that all Christians could live together, worship together, and be one as we are one in God with Christ. That they may all be one! is the United Churc...

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