Sabbath for Man

It's 10:13 on Sunday morning. Since Crievewood now has an early morning service, I am often away from church by 9:30 or 10:30 (depending on if I stay for Sunday school). Sometimes I go to Starbucks, or to a park, or just come back home to do laundry or relax on the back patio. Wherever I go, I love to observe the people who aren't in church. Perhaps they went early, like me, or maybe they went to a Saturday evening service, or perhaps they are not the churchgoing sort at all. It is this last bunch that I am most intrigued by.

I observe them partially because I wonder what it is like to not feel any sort of obligation to go to church every Sunday. I was raised always going, and now that I'm a pastor's wife, people will nag my husband to death if I don't show up. There is guilt involved in not going--like staying home from work or school sick when you're not really that sick. I remember in college, someone once told me they dress up to go to the dining hall on Sundays for lunch, because those who have come straight from church would judge him if he showed up in pajamas. So, I watch with interest those who show up at Starbucks in jeans, or those playing with their kids at the park who don't appear to have come straight from church. They seem to have come to these places for the same reason I have, only without having put in the requisite hour in worship first. They have come to relax, to have fun, to enjoy the beautiful day and have a few moments to themselves before heading back to the office on Monday.

I do not wish to deny the importance of singing praises to God, praying, or discussing issues of spiritual importance. I often find, though, that my hour of relaxation is more worshipful and centering than my hour or two spent in the structured worship setting. I also notice the joy of those who passed go without collecting their wine and wafer. This is their sabbath as well. As Jesus told his critics, "Man was not made for the sabbath, but the sabbath for man." God did not designate a sabbath day so that we should feel burdened by obligation, but so that we can experience time free of obligations--time to relax and rejuvenate ourselves for six more days of work. I sometimes wonder if those who have skipped church altogether understand that concept more than the rest of us.

Sins of Omission

I discovered the blessings of Lent in college. Raised in a less liturgical Protestant tradition, I came to understand and appreciate the liturgical calendar more when I began attending a wonderful Episcopal Church during my junior year. I acknowledged Ash Wednesday for the first time my senior year, and participated in several Lenten services and disciplines the church offered. I also "gave something up" for Lent for the first time that year--pork and shellfish, I think it was, channelling a kosher vibe.

Since then, I have given up chocolate, beer, beef, all meats, etc., as many do during this time of year. I practice these omissions with a keen determination not to be doing so for a selfish gain, like losing weight or whatnot, but rather to focus on filling that void with prayer and reflection on God. I have done so with varying degrees of success, and vividly recall the thick prime rib I wolfed down on Easter 2005.

This year, I decided that rather than giving up something, I would give up myself--that is, give of my time and energies for others. I planned to use Cool People Care's "5 Minutes of Caring" to guide my actions. Two weeks later, I hadn't looked at the site since Ash Wednesday. I decided then to start a daily discipline of reading the daily lectionary and setting aside time for prayer. I have also failed in that endeavor, and lament that I am "wasting" this Lent by not using this time of preparation to focus myself on God and my spiritual life.

Obviously, Lent is not the only time one can or should focus on such things, and I have increased my time spent in prayer as I seek God's comfort and guidance though this "limbo stage" in Matt and my careers. However, the lesson that really comes to mind from my "failures" these past few weeks is, once again, how much harder it is to actively do something than to avoid doing something. Many Christians today insist that the keys to living a moral life are not drinking, not smoking, and not having extramarital sex. While avoiding these indulgences may help one to have a healthier body and avoid emotional baggage (benefits God surely wishes us to enjoy), do such omissions really help one be more Christlike? How much more discipline and faith does it require to actively give of one's time and resources for the less fortunate? To practice selflessness and peace? Which would God prefer? What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God?

I am reminded of a humorous coincidence that is quite relevant here. I have a cousin named John, whose birthday is March 16. Some family members call him "John 3:16" for that reason. When I started dating my now-husband, I thought I'd check out his "birthday verse" since he happens to have a gospel writer's name. Matthew 11:19 is actually quite fitting for Matt: "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say 'he has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say 'here is a glutton and a drunkard'... but wisdom is proved right by her actions." Some Christians would (and do) criticize my pastor-hubby for his enjoyment of alcohol, but as the verse says, Christ reveals the logos by his actions, not by his temperance. It seems followers of Christ should strive to do the same.