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SABBATH
. This is the frst Sunday of our stewardship season and our theme this year is
living a proportionate life-looking at Biblial stewardship as way of re-ordering our
lives to re!et "od#s priorities
$e as a ongregation need to be giving more of our money and talents to do a
better %ob at being our brother and sisters keeper here in &hiladelphia and
onretely aring for those in need throughout the world. $e need to be atively
looking for the fae of 'esus in the least of these. $e need to inrease our program
budget to grow our priorities around eduation( hildren and youth. $e need to
take are of this ama)ing santuary( that serves as a light and mission post in this
ommunity.
But * am not going to talk about any of those things. Today
* am after something more ontroversial than your money-* want to talk about your
time.
And * am not trying to get you to volunteer or sign-up for anything-so * am not
personally after your time-But "od is
'esus is often portrayed as o+ering a radially new approah to "od as opposed to
the 'ewish praties of his time. &artiularly when they attak 'esus for healing on
the Sabbath( the &harisees and the sribes ome o+ looking like legalisti hyporites
who are more onerned with the proper observane of ustoms and ritual-than the
needs of "od#s people. $hen 'esus states in ,ark - that humans were not reated
for the Sabbath( but the Sabbath for humans-we are tempted to think of 'esus as a
revolutionary-but he is not. 'esus# emphasis on the spirit of the law as opposed to
the letter makes him a good 'ew. 'esus understands what "od was up to in "enesis
1 and his onfronting the religious folks of his day was part of his way to get them
to understand what "od really ares about
The trouble with most modern followers of 'esus is that we tend to get neither the
letter nor the spirit right onerning how we should be living the gift of the
Sabbath priniple
.ut .T lesson this morning was the /eut( version of the Sabbath ommand whih is
the 0
th
of the 11 ommandmants-but the Sabbath was atually established prior to
the law The Sabbath priniple is established in the frst 2reation story
Though "enesis one is probably late-written as part of the fnal edition of the 3irst
3ive books
The 4stablishment of sabbath is prior to Sinai-it is a priniple for all of humanity
-
*t is tied to our identity as being reated in the image of "od
"enesis one portrays "od as really en%oying his %ob
4lohem makes something and stops and admires it as if he is inviting the reader to
ome look at my work in 2reation
$hy take si5 days6
* mean "od ould have said-* made a big bang-any 7uestions
8ot this is poetry-"od is en%oying the work of reation beause it is a labor of love
This "ood-osmos is good-light is good-land 9sea plants trees birds sea monsters all
good
And "od#s best day is the last one
8ow granted we are made the same day as the reepy rawlers( but they are not
made in the image of "od humans
And part of what it means to be made in "od#s image-is to go do "od like stu+-"o
be in harge
:ou are stewards of the world-subdue( ultivate( domestiate( eduate( reate
8ow * am pretty sure "od did not have nulear bombs( destrution of the o)one and
globial warming in mind. But "od took the risk;,e not so muh But "od is
onsistent in putting us in harge-* would not have given &eter the keys to the
kingdom either-But * digress
"od gave humanity god-like powers- and then said getting ready get set 9stop
"od ommanded that one a week we are to stop nearly everything to remember
we are not "od
And to observe
-to take time to regroup to refresh 9to rest to gather and feast with friends and
family 9to en%oy the good gifts of reation;to reonnet to "od
Wait a minute God commands me to relax rest, eat good food with the
people I love and refect on all the good gifts of Life What kind of
rimitive !"rant is that#
.ne who loves us
<
Dan Buettner has spent years researching the parts of the world where people live
much longer than average. Most of those locations are outside the United States --
including Sardinia, Italy, and Oinawa, !apan -- "ut there is one long-living group
stateside. #here is island o$ the coast of #urey.
It%s the Seventh-day &dventists, who live an average of '( years longer than the
&merican life e)pectancy of a"out *+ years.
,#hey tae this idea of Sa""ath very seriously, so they%re decompressing the
stress,, Buettner said. ,&"out -. percent of health care dollars are spent "ecause of
"ad food choices, inactivity and unmanaged stress( and they have these ultural
ways of managing stress through their Sabbath.=
*magine that 9A biblial priniple that atually is good for you
stewardship of our time-
>iving a proportionate life may be foundational to living the good life
A life in tune with "od helps to properly both engage and when needed disengage
with the world
$e live in suh a distrated age-onnetions without intimay-rereation without
rest-
$e spend so muh energy on self-yet it seems happiness is ever allusive
The frst use of the word Holy in the Bible is not about a temple or a mountain-or for
that matter not a diret referene to "od-but to a day-to time-the Sabbath
"od is not found in spae-but rather in time-and so we need to take time in order to
fnd and be found
Si) days a wee we wrestle with the world wringing pro/t from the earth0 on the
Sa""ath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul. #he world
has our hands, "ut our soul "elongs to someone else. Si) days a wee we see to
dominate the world, on the seventh day we try to dominate the self
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Hear a new the words of 'esus
2ome unto me( all ye that labour and are heavy laden( and * will give you rest.
-C
Take my yoke upon you( and learn of meD for * am meek and lowly in heartE and ye
shall fnd rest unto your souls.