More thoughts on Sabbath

Gracie and I have been becoming more thoughtful about the time that God has given us, and more attentive to opportunities for delight, rest, sharing, teaching, celebrating. (This is greatly a ramification of a lot of reflection on the liturgical year.)


For everything under the sun there is a season, and we are enriched as we reflect on God's gifts of times and seasons.  (Is this [taking a day of rest, or reflecting on Christ through the liturgical year] a "must-do"? Certainly not.  St. Paul is specific about that...we are in no way justified by reflecting in a certain way on days or a seasons, we are justified by the righteousness of Christ.  Just wanted to note that for posterity's sake, and because a friend asked me my thoughts on why we are taking a day of rest.)


Here is a thought about the nature of time that is quite beautiful, and I believe: true.  Remember the first and second commandments as you read this short passage.

Entering into Relational Rather Than Chronological Time 

We are all too familiar with chronology (chronos), the time we can measure and monitor. We note the passing of time in moments and events, hastening or lamenting time's movement. 

There is another kind of time talked about in the Bible, however: kairos. This is time experienced relationally, rather than sequentially. Kairos is time as an eternal moment, a divine appointment, a dynamic encounter. 

It recognizes that the fruitfulness of our life is more appropriately measured by the quality of our relationships than by the amount of activities we can cram into our moments. 

For six days we are often seduced into defining our worth by our works. The Sabbath reminds us that our worth is given to us by God. We belong to God, and by the Spirit of Christ we belong to one another. For Jewish families, the Sabbath is a day of feasting on good food and delighting in good relationships. Even the poorest family will scrimp and save so that the Sabbath meal will be the best of the week. Seated as guests at every Sabbath table will be strangers, aliens and those with no place to go. 

Therefore, the Sabbath is a day to enjoy intimate relationships.

Citation:
 Dearborn, Tim and Kerry (I think), "Recovering an Ancient Approach to Time Management in Our High-Tech Era". Copyright © 2001 University Communications, Seattle Pacific University. 
<http://www.spu.edu/depts/uc/response/winter2k1/sabbath.html> Accessed 11 February 2011.