Daily Office Readings for Saturday of the 1st Week of Epiphany: Year 1
AM Psalms 20, 21:1-7; PM Psalms 110:1to5, 116,and 117;
Isaiah 43:1 to 13; Ephesians 3:14 to 21; Mark 2:23 to 3:6:
“Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2: 27 and 28)
This has new meaning for me after reading “Sabbath” by Abraham Joshua Heshel. Our time is way more important than all the things we could ask for.
I am reminded that God created time and then us within time. And lastly, it is a special day within time as a gift to us, for us to rest with God. For me, the Sabbath may not even be a time for worship, but just to rest and allow contemplation to take place.
When someone gives us a gift, that gift becomes our own possession. We do with it what we please. The giver may or may not be pleased if we put his or her gift in the garage never to be seen again until we decide to have a yard sale. But the gift was ours. I am not Jewish in the traditional sense. But I am a “Judeo-Christian.” Our Lord Jesus kept his Jewish traditions throughout his life. Let me share with you the meaning of the Sabbath from a You Tube video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjmjZWHXKFY
For me, keeping the Sabbath does not mean worshiping on the Sabbath. Worship is work, at least for clergy and worship support people. We Christians should keep the first day of the week, (Sunday) as our worship day.
I have lived for over 72 years not realizing how important the Sabbath is. But thanks be to God, I have not, and could not “sale” my Sabbath. It is a gift from God and I intend to live into it more reverently going forward. This will be an adjustment over time. I am also remembering that while the Rest of God came after the creation of humanity, the restfulness that is found in the Sabbath is shared with humanity as an opportunity to be with God our Creator. We were not made for the Sabbath, but rather, the Sabbath was made by God, for God, and yet shared with humanity as gift. We have choices. We can ignore the Sabbath, or we can live into it. I now choose the latter. It is never too late for the revelation of God, Thank You Lord Jesus.
Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 