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a time that leads toward an often uncomfortable call for justice? Does it always need to be one or the other? If both are important, how do we achieve balance so that Sabbath worship does not become bogged down in criticisms but still retains depth? How do we ensure that Sabbath worship provides restoration and peace, without becoming merely superfisabbath keeping BY DAWN KARLSON Question: Is the Sabbath a day of rest or a day of justice? It was Christmas Eve. It was also a Sunday, a day of Sabbath. Morning worship was done and my supervisor and I were spending a little time going over what needed to happen at the Christmas Eve service that night. He asked me to read and comment on his Christmas Meditation. The meditation was not one of joyful celebration as I expected; instead it was a powerful prophetic call for justice. At first, I felt this special Sabbath of Christmas should be a time of joy and mystery and hope, not one laden with the weight of the injustices of our world today. Then again, it was a potent message, one that needed to be I came home that afternoon and announced to my husband that I didn’t think I had a "prophetic" voice because I couldn’t imagine delivering that kind of a message on Christmas Eve. And yet, on Christmas night I found myself writing a poem that wondered where Jesus would be born if born today. Would Jesus be born in war-torn Israel, Iraq or Sudan? I have been thinking since then about how a minister’s words, attitudes, presence, prayers and sermons can "shape" the experience of Sabbath for our congregations. Is Sabbath a restorative, peaceful time or is it A minister’s words, attitudes, presence, prayers and sermons can "shape" the experience of Sabbath for our congregations. spoken. It was likely to be heard by more than the "usual" crowd on Christmas Eve. I suggested that certain parts of the meditation be "softened" but noted that this was a message that came from deep within my supervisor’s heart. The meditation was uncomfortable for me, yet I knew its truth. 14
cial? It seems to me that balance and style of presentation are critically important, particularly in the context of a society that has tended to deemphasize Sabbath time altogether. Most of us are familiar with the idea that Sabbath is a time for rest, but how, I These readings confirmed for me that Sabbath is about both rest and justice. Perhaps if we take the time to offer our Sabbath time to God, to spend this special time with God in whatever way is most authentic to us, our work of justice will naturally follow. If we "taste and see" (as one of our small group members liked to say) the fruits of Sabbath time with If we “taste and see” . . . the fruits of Sabbath time with God, we will want every one to experience it. wondered, is Sabbath about justice? I decided to check scripture to see if I could make the connection. There were two points I found in the Sabbath commandment (in both Exodus and Deuteronomy) that struck me. First, Sabbath time is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Second, Sabbath is for every single person, a rest day not just for some, but for all. Sabbath implies freedom for even those "enslaved" or oppressed in our world today. Consider the Sabbath commandment from Exodus 20:8 and Deuteronomy 5:12: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. . . . but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. . . on it you shall not do any work, nor your manservant or maidservant . . . so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm . . . God, we will want every one to experience it. On the other hand, our job as pastors is to help our fellow sojourners on their path and there are times we may need to remind our community that Sabbath is not just about renewal, but about justice for all. As I reflected back on my Christmas Eve experience as a field education student, I realized I had begun to understand one of the challenges of pastoring: knowing when to nurture and knowing when to challenge our faith communities. I had also begun to see my own Sabbath time as a time with God, with my center of being, before being sent back out into the world. When we practice Sabbath, we open ourselves to whatever God might provide… there may be times when we receive joy, peace, or rest. There may be other times when we receive strength, perseverance or a call toward some specific work. When we take the time to rest in God, our Sabbath doesn’t need to fit into any precise category. Sabbath doesn’t need to be either about rest or justice, it can be about both. Indeed, if we open our Sabbath to God, we may be surprised by the myriad possibilities it presents. 15
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Page 7 and 8: healing BY BARBARA SMITH “We year
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