for awhile now, i've been thinking about what to post, if anything. i've enjoyed the different things that people have posted, and thought i'd go ahead and start something...
... for awhile now, i've felt somewhat frustrated, almost as if there's a tightness around my heart. you know that feeling that you get when you feel so "disconnected" from the loop, but you're still somewhat connected? i've been so busy lately, actually *too* busy. i definitely need another day added, just to relax and do all the things i want to do... but what i know is that i'd probably fill in that time with things that i don't need to do, because that's what we as humans tend to do.
a year or so ago, i took place in a sabbath thing that my quasi-old church was doing- what they did was offer the same service for two weeks, and tell half the church to show up for the first week, with the second half attending the second week. we all learned a lot about the sabbath, what it was like/is like, et cetera. it was very interesting.
i know that the lord rested on the seventh day and saw that it was good. many people say that jesus is our sabbath, thus we don't need to "rest" during the week- i totally disagree with that. although i have not read much of the Word as of late, i've thought often about jesus and what He was like. sometimes he needed to be away from everybody, including his disciples; other times he surrounded himself with his disciples; yet still there were times when he surrounded himself with thousands, and placed children upon his lap. this guy was just surreal, but when you reframe your mind and experience the paradigmatic shift that recognizes jesus as the lord and giver of life, you can't help but see that this dude was completely in balance, or if the scale was off, it was still perfect. as an observant jew, jesus certainly did observe the holy day of the sabbath ("keep it holy," his father (who-art-in-heaven...) said). there's something important, and something we're missing here, in the western church, when we don't know what the sabbath means. i'd like to know more.
lately, i've been going to a calvinist church (all saints reformed at brea olinda hs) but i don't identify myself as a calvinist. however, everything i've learned/heard about at that church has made me feel like i've been spiritually fed a five-course meal, instead of mac-n-cheese (which can be good in its own right!). i have so much to go in my "christian" journey, and within a calvinist framework, i'm having a hard time with five-point calvinism (if anybody knows what i'm talking about).
jesus is the way, the truth, the life.... that verse, however cliche`, is still one of my favorite (if not *the*) sayings of Jesus.
i'm literally yawning. dang, i had so much more i wanted to talk about/inquire/et cetera. but i'm glad i finally got something off my chest/mind. also, to be honest here, i'm torn between mccain and obama. i have been *way* out of the loop with this most recent political election, but i've been leaning towards obama (but i can't shake the fact that supports abortion). i'm having a HUGE issue right now regarding proposition 8. what would jesus have done if he were in nazareth/jerusalem and a similiar ordinance was being passed to ban/permit gay marriage? how did jesus interact with politics/culture- (the mixture of the church and state is where he suffered.). oy... i sometimes think i'm making no sense whatsoever. okay goodnight for now.
-ssl
3 comments:
i just wanted to make it clear that i didn't mean that jesus isn't the sabbath- i meant that many people think we no longer have to observe an actual sabbath due to jesus being our sabbath. does that make sense?
Well said, sandon.
I can totally relate with you in feeling so busy. Lately I have felt too busy to move. Working full time has been a blessing and a curse, and sometimes I tend to think it's more the latter than the former. I had the opportunity to go to the EVFREE college group's fall retreat this weekend and I did a little thinking about rest. Honestly, I got little to none of it. Before I knew it, the trip was gone, and we were already off the mountain heading down the 10fwy. I vividly remember thinking, "wtf? where did that retreat go? Where was I that whole time?" It is ironic to me that I can busy myself through a "retreat."
But like I said, I did a little thinking on rest. I think a good way to explain it, at least with the idea of this "sabbath rest" in mind, is to call "rest" a time where you litterally do nothing. The Jews had/have? it right when they insist on not "creating" anything on the Sabbath day. While I don't believe it needs to be Sunday, and that we probably need a "Sabbath" hour, or two, everyday, I think they are on to something. Don't create, or work, or busy yourself with anything--just, be. that's all. That is something I have been craving lately, but have been too busy (ha!) to do.
...and yes, we're familiar with calvinism--five-points, tulip, predesti-life, blah blah blah...
sorry for my cynicism.
hey man!
this was one of those posts which really hit me in a good spot. i concur with aaron about how working full time feels more like a chore than a wonderful opportunity to save money. i just feel so wiped out after working that my free time feels like i'm doing something wrong.
also, with this impending move to chicago, i feel really disconnected from church. imago dei was nice for some time, but i fell out of going. i blamed it's size (a go-to excuse for me), but i really think that my tiredness in the mornings keeps me from going. it makes me a little depressed actually. but keighty and i are hopeful about finding a nice little congregation when we move, and are really sincere about it. but i really think that this post reminded me about just how wrong i get the idea of both "work" and "rest." i see both like incomplete ideas, which instead of confronting, i instead pass through passively, waiting for something to stir me enough to feel like i'm working or resting correctly.
so thanks, sandman, for reminding me to proactively pursue rest.
also, calvanism. man, to be completely transparent. that term just makes me uncomfortable. not the theology, but how thinking about the theology makes me feel... sinful. like if i met calvin, he'd chew me out for my behavior lately. which might not be a bad thing. i'm pretty lukewarm at the moment.
i love you guys!
Post a Comment