Sabbath Does Not Equal Perfect

Saturday we grocery shopped, and I spent a good (read exhausting) chunk of time prepping meals for the upcoming week.  (Evidently that's a thing...cooking for a week in one day.  The jury is still out on whether or not I'm a fan.)   I prepared Saturday's dinner, stew for Sunday (for the slow cooker of course) and a black eyed peas dish for later in the week.  (The legume...NOT the singing group)

So Sunday afternoon rolled around and there was no stew. (Apparently prepping a slow cook recipe is not enough, one needs to put it into the slow cooker!)  But that was Okay.  I had decided that I was putting WAY too much time on the meal portion of Sabbath, and not enough focus on the other things I wanted to do to make Sabbath meaningful.  So I thought I would spend some time exploring what it means to be thankful.  I found this quote, "Practicing thankfulness is one of the most powerful ways of thinking to bring about change in our circumstances."    But then the dog needed a walk; and I had to help my son with some homework he had ignored all weekend; and had homework of my own,which I had ignored all weekend; and the kids couldn't come over for dinner (which was fine since there was no stew anyway....) Sigh.  So I will continue to ruminate on thankfulness and how it relates to Sabbath, but in the meantime, this is what I have learned...

1. Just because I have declared it a day of Sabbath does NOT mean it is a day devoid of challenges. 
2. The whole world will not come to a halt and comply with my Sabbath wishes.
3. I would have made a very bad Pharisee!

God Pause

A Mighty Fortress ... our refuge and our strength ... a very present help in trouble ... the Lord of hosts ... all are themes embedded in this beloved psalm. As notes sounded by Martin Luther in the Reformation, these words are written in the hearts and minds especially of Lutherans and others who stand in the Reformation tradition.

In the midst of this psalm is another very well-known and comforting verse. We are encouraged to take time and meditate on that precious good news of the One who is our refuge and strength, We hear these comforting words, "Be still and know that I am God." I have a friend who, before she leaves her car, spends 30 seconds in prayerful meditation before she goes to that next place in her very busy day.

In our disjointed lives, when we race from one appointment to the next, from one place to another, this simple practice can help us re-configure each of the events that make up our day. These words are most comforting. "Be still and know that I am God."

O God our refuge, help us to seek out your presence that we might find strength and comfort in the promise that you are a very present help in trouble. Amen.

Paul Herpich
Pastor, King of Kings Lutheran Church, Liverpool, N.Y.
Doctor of Ministry, 2008

Sabbath...and how it went bad

Sunday afternoon has  worked pretty well as Sabbath so far.  I work in the morning but then can call the rest of the day mine, most of the time.  This week I invited the kids over for dinner. I put a pork roast (It's a Christian Sabbath so the pork roast was fine I tell ya... fine!) in the crock pot, had steam-able bags of broccoli and an easy rice dish...  Thankfully "Sabbath" is NOT reliant on food.  The roast was boring, the Broccoli was frozen in the middle (even though I cooked it the recommended amount of time) and the rice was gummy....sigh.  It was seriously the worse meal I have prepared, maybe ever!  Luckily we ended the night with a rollicking game of  "Name 5", I did a little yoga and a devotion out of "Jesus is Calling."  I'm not sure that I'm doing anything so differently, except that in claiming that time as Sabbath, I am aware of slowing down, of reconnecting and filling my hours more purposefully.

A WAY BETTER Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin Recipe:

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

4 hours

Total time

4 hours 5 mins

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin that just melts in your mouth! This slow cooker balsamic pork tenderloin recipe is perfect for those busy weeknight supper or even special occasions!

Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 2-3 pound boneless pork tenderloin
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Instructions

1. Place pork tenderloin into the insert of your slow cooker. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over pork and set the timer for your slow cooker. (4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low)
2. Once pork tenderloin has cooked, remove from slow cooker with tongs into a serving dish. Break apart lightly with two forks and then ladle about ¼ – ½ cup of gravy over pork tenderloin.
3. Store remaining gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for another use.

Every seventh day a miracle comes to pass, the resurrection of the soul, of the soul of man and the soul of all things.  A medieval sage declares: The world which was created in six days was a world without a soul.  It was on the seventh day that the world was given a soul.   -Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath of Time and Space

The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space.  Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time.


- Abraham Joshua Heschel Says this: 

One of the most distinguished words in the Bible is the word qadosh, holy; a word which more than any other is representative of the mystery and majesty of the divine. Now what was the first holy object in the history of the world? Was it a mountain? Was it an altar?...How extremely significant is the fact that it is applied to time: "And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy."

This is a radical departure from accustomed religious thinking. The mythical mind would expect that, after heaven and earth have been established, God would create a holy place--a holy mountain or a holy spring--whereupon a sanctuary is to be established. Yet it seems as if to the Bible it is holiness in time, the Sabbath, which comes first...

The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things in space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.

A Sanctuary in Time

"The Sabbath itself is a sanctuary which we build, a sanctuary in time." Joshua Herschel

Setting Yourself up for Sabbath

Okay, it's Thursday...so how am I going to set my self up for my weekend Sabbath day?
Yes I said weekend.  I have been trying to claim Sunday as Sabbath and have found that I inevitably have something scheduled, so I have declared that 1 day of the weekend will be Sabbath, which I think will work for us for the present.  I'll let you know how it works!

• 1.  Check the Calendar:  Friday open, Sat teach yoga, do art with friends with friends, 5:00  work/church. Sunday work/church... check
• 2.  Make the decision what constitutes an Okay Sabbath activity for you and your family. Yoga, paining church...all good...check
• 3.  Make a menu plan for the day: Ham dinner...check
• 4.  Make a shopping list to make sure I have supplies:  Bakers, salad mix, asparagus...check
• 5.  Choose a focus or discipline for the day:  "Jesus is Calling" devotional...check

I'll let you know if the best laid plans actually come to fruition

Be Still and Know

     The following is a way to quiet your heart, mind and spirit.  I first read about it in the book 'Catch Your Breath; God's Invitation to Sabbath Rest'  and have used it many times myself and with my yoga classes.
     As you read each line, begin to think of the phrase in it's entirety.  Notice how the meaning and images change for you.  Breathe deeply as you move from one phrase to the next.
     After you read through it once, you will be able to do this without reading and truly begin to feel the peace of this practice.

Psalm 46:10
"Be still and know that I am God!"
"Be still and know that I am..."
"Be still and know..."
"Be still..."
"Be...

The Seventh Day is a Day of Solemn Rest Ex 20:8-11

In the book "Sabbath in the Suburbs" Maryann McKibben Dana talks about the gift of Sabbath for the Old Testament Jews.  A people who had just been freed from centuries of slavery, forced to work day and night at the whim of their masters. "The Jewish observance of Sabbath is an exclamation to the world: 'We are not slaves to the empire anymore!   We are free!'"  She says, "I'm a captive too, but of a very different sort.  I feel enslaved to the type-A madness of my environment and my own soul.  I'm longing for the Promised Land. And Sabbath is my Red Sea, I'm sure of it."

To what do you feel enslaved?  Picture that which makes you the most crazy, or tense or frustrated.  Now imagine a day with none of that.  Find a way to shake those bonds and spend time in the promised rest of the blessing of Sabbath.