Keep it Sacred

We hear a lot about "seperation of church and state", but we never talk about the seperation of church and sabbath. The two are often thought of in conjunction with one another, and though this is not necessarily a bad thing, we as humans often take it too far and begin to create rules, standards, and expectations that are not biblically founded and are sometimes harmful. 

For me, Sabbath starts on Tuesday morning and ends on Wednesday night, It is the time in which I am able to get away, rest, seek God and holy community, and to worship God through the appreciation and love of His creation. Why?

I have a crazy job! I work 80 hour weeks taking care of 26 teenagers and encouraging them towards wholeness and quality of life. Basically, I am a 24 year old playing "big brother", youth pastor, and protector.  INSANE!

Sadly, one aspect of my job is that I work Sundays and take kids to church. Now, don't get me wrong, I love taking my kids to church! I am, however, still working and having to give the majority of my attention to what they are doing rather than to the service, and I don't get to be involved in the community itself for a variety of reasons. When the service is over it's back to watching kids, giving meds, cooking dinner, stopping fights, etc. etc. etc. 

My Sundays are 0% restful...

So how does one reconcile the need to keep sabbath with a "Christian" job that demands one's Sunday to be work? Does Sabbath have to be on a certain day of the week for it to count or for God to be pleased? Does Sabbath have to be taken somewhere between 6 pm on Friday and midnight on Sunday for it to be counted as Holy or Sacred? I think not. Perhaps the church has severly legalized Sabbath and, as a result, not kept it holy...

I maintain a constistent connection to Christian community. In fact, I am living in the midst of one! The  aspect of Sabbath I am not getting on a daily basis is rest. That's what my "mid-week Sabbath" is all about right now: rest. I need rest, relaxation, and the chance to get away from home. Why? Because I don't go to work...I live there! I can't seperate home from work becasue they are one and the same. My life now revolves around the house of teens and young adults.

Therefore, my Sabbath is about adventure, escape, and being myself. It is a time to work on art projects, see movies, drink coffee, and to do all the things that I enjoy and make me...well, me! 

Sabbath is sleeping in! It is going to book stores and local coffee shoppes, eating breakfast with friends, and playing flashlight tag or volleyball! Sabbath is rest and it is freedom. Sabbath is my chance to take care of myself rather than 26 teens, to seek God's presence and restoration, and to love myself as much as I am loving others. 

Sabbath has become more than just a Sunday morning ritual. It is now a way of life and a means of survival. 

Grace and Peace,

Stephen

Will You Yield?

Today I was deep in prayer in meditation when I began singing random songs. One song I began to sing in particular was "Where You Go I Go" by Brian and Jenn Johnson. The song is simple, and mildly repetitive, but a good song nonetheless. As I was singing I began to meditate upon the words and ask myself, "what is it that I'm singing?" and "why are these words significant?" From the title alone I'm sure you can guess what the song is about, but the part of the song I want to focus on is the part that says "How can I expect to live without You, when every move that Jesus made was in surrender?"

Now, this may seem like a very insignificant question to you, but if you thought about...I mean REALLY thought about it, do you have this kind of mindset as you walk through your day to day life? "Am I living in surrender?" If Jesus Christ, the pure and holy one lived out His life in complete submission and obedience (which He did, check out the book of Philippians) then how is is that we, mere mortals of flesh and bone that are full of sin and evil habits, think that it is possible to get by without relying on God or living in surrender to Him? I'm a believer in providence, but I'm also a believer in free will as a element of the Image of God within humanity. I must conclude therefore that I'm responsible for something within this divine romance that we have with God.

I have the responsibility of spending time with God, meditating on His attributes, worshiping Him and being in a relationship with Him. A relationship that requires me to be vulnerable, open, trusting, and honest. The hardest things to do, even unto someone as perfect as God. We can not live without Him, for without Him we have no truth, no purpose, no reason for working or doing. It is all in vain. May we remember to yeild ourselves to our Most Holy One, our God and King, that we might find our purpose in Him and have a true reason for living that the World does not have and will never ever have outside of Christ.

"God forgive me of my fallacies once again and carry me unto Thy grace, before Your throne, that I might be with my God and be made whole. In Nomine Patris, et Filis, et Spiritus Sancti"