Good morning…
The word “sabbath” in Hebrew means rest, cessation, to cease from labor. We are told in Genesis 2:2-3 (AMP) And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [as His own, that is, set it apart as holy from other days], because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and done. Adopting the rhythm of our Creator, we are designed to accent our creative work with the breath of restorative rest. While wandering the wilderness, God’s first followers were taught to savor a holy day set aside to honor the God who was providing morning manna every day (Exodus 16:23). Then in Exodus 20:8 (AMP), we see God valuing rest so highly, He added “sabbath” to His top ten list of commandments: “Remember the Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy (set apart, dedicated to God).”
I am feeling drawn to alter the name of our new habit, from “Savor This Sunday” to “Savor Sabbath.” In our Christian tradition, Sunday is set apart as holy from the other days of the week, a day to rest, restore, and review the experiences of our week. Touch on the links below to be reminded of your favorite posts or enjoy manna morsels you may have missed.
Monday: There are no limits to the wholeness expanding through this fully-God, fully-human baby Jesus. No limits to the wholeness growing and flowing in and through us. No limits to the wholeness healing our hurting world. All of creation is held together by our invisible God through the powerful Spirit of this vulnerable, visible Son of God.
Tuesday: “Come in!” he whispered aloud. “Enter my small life,” his gentle voice became a prayer. “Lay Your sacred hands on all the common things and small interests of that life and bless and change them. Transfigure my small resources, make them sacred. And in them give me Your very Self. Amen.”
Wednesday: Jesus enters our small lives in big and little ways, making our house his home, our heart and soul to raise. With love and joy and peace he fills us to overflow, and we share his presence with others everywhere we go.
Thursday: When I stopped standing off, running in and out the door like my friend Lisa, I could see Tommy, the woodworking artist, as a true gift from God. This December our home has received more than gorgeous floors. Through Lisa, Mary, and Tommy, God is rubbing me more real.
Friday: At church on Sunday, we sang one of my favorite Christmas songs. Pregnant. Powerful. Provocative. How could Mary know that Jesus would enter her small life and change everything for everyone? Instead of reading written words this morning, why not lean back, listen in, and let God touch you through the gift of song.
Saturday: Jesus wears many disguises, does he not? He comes in as a humble housekeeper and an artistic floor guy, a finicky fox and a family of mice, shelter-seeking squirrels and shivering sparrows. When we welcome him in, do we sit down with this well-disguised Jesus, listening attentively, or are we unnecessarily worried, upset about so many things?
“Remember the Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy (set apart, dedicated to God).”
…Sue…
