It is almost 2pm on Sunday and the house is quiet...all are asleep but me and I bask in this time, understanding anew that all the efforts to create space for this rest are worth it. We do not rest today so that we may work the rest of the week as we will, as Wendell Berry writes in his Sabbath poem,
"Six days of work are spent
To make a Sunday quiet
That Sabbath may return...."
From the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter,
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." (John 20:19-31).
One of the first messages of the resurrection: PEACE.
I go back to my own rest now, so that Sabbath may return.
Blessings dear readers! May the Peace of Christ be with you. Amy
"For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation." (Psalm 62:1)
Why do I run from silence?
I complain of the busyness, the stress, the hurried life. Though I am the mama, the one who is given the task of planning, if not directing, the day, I cannot stop. A loud life assures me of my self-importance and pushes away the fear that I am not.
And even when I push back against a culture, loud and frenetic, "I cannot live in the death of speech." I am given the chance to see the roaring waves pound unending on the beach, but "I cannot stand beside it mute." Rather than let the beauty fill me I fill the silence with "the labor of my words."
Why do we prefer the bombardment of words--the text message, the tweet, those ticker boxes on the news--when we know it deafens?
Mr. Berry says it right and true: "It is in the silence that my hope is, and my aim."
Silence by Wendell Berry
Though the air is full of singing
my head is loud
with the labor of words.
Though the season is rich
with fruit, my tongue
hungers for the sweet of speech.
Though the beech is golden
I cannot stand beside it
mute, but must say
"It is golden," while the leaves
stir and fall with a sound
that is not a name.
It is in the silence
that my hope is, and my aim.
A song whose lines
I cannot make or sing
sounds men's silence
like a root. Let me say
and not mourn: the world
lives in the death of speech
and sings there.
When we finally stop the hurrying, the busyness, and put the to-do list down, we have the space for love and affection.
While this can be difficult for us in every stage of life, Scripture seems to indicate that the young wife must be taught how to go about it (Titus 2:4 "and so train the young women to love their husbands and children," noting that many translate this mention of love as the "affectionate" love). Why? Does it not come naturally? Perhaps, but while I may not exactly count as the "young wife" anymore (!), I know it is still easy for me to get so caught up in the loving care of my children that I often don't leave time or energy for that affectionate love. A Sabbath Sensibility, finding a rhythm of rest and work, gives the needed time and energy for affection. And so, what better moment then the Lord's Day for us all, not just the "young mother," to learn the lessons of Charity:
"Is [the living room] not a picture in ordinary terms of what families are all about; namely, that these few people, thrust together and bound by the odd ties of flesh and blood, are given the chance to begin to learn the one big lesson that all men are given to learn--the lessons of Charity? That is, we were made for love, we are commanded to love, and since it doesn't come naturally to us, we have to learn to love. The family situation is, as it were, the elementary schoolroom where we start learning in small, easy, and natural ways to love--that is, to discover that self-giving, freedom, and joy are all one thing" (Splendor in the Ordinary, p. 47)
As we bask in self-giving, freedom, and joy are souls expand, bringing life and peace.
"All the loving attentiveness [the parent] gives [their] children is food for their souls. When the child is a small baby, all those smiles and kind words, the laughing and playfulness, and the [parental] delight and pride in each new accomplishment is used by God to prosper the baby's soul. And it continues as the child grows. Even the smallest gesture, if done in love and kindness, is nourishing. We want our children to have fat little souls, to be healthy plants, as in Psalm 144:12: "that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth."...We cannot think that a prayer at bedtime and reading a Bible story to them occasionally will counteract the damage done day in and day out by the foul air the children breathe in the home day after day all year long...By the grace of God, [parents] can provide peaceful and joyful feasts which nourish both body and soul. Listening to your children, taking them on your lap and talking with them, and being affectionate and loving to them will of course take time. Just as preparing and serving good food takes time, so feeding our children's souls take time...We cannot see how reading this story one more time will be like a second helping of mashed potatoes but it is. God uses all these things we do, when we render them unto Him by faith, to strengthen, nourish, and grow our children up into men and women with fat souls..." (Building Her House, p. 62-63).
*These pictures were taken by Amy on a Sabbath Day in September 2009.
Let us not forget, even in this season of Lent, our hope is sure. On the Lord's Day we remember what Christ's death and resurrection accomplished for us and we rejoice.
“For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and delight in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress. Isaiah 65: 17-19.
We enter into the Lord's delight of his redeemed creation.
A Sabbath walk, enjoying sunshine and melting snow.
We learn to receive with open hand the sun and the snow.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)
Art by Daniel Bonnell
http://web.me.com/danielbonnell/Site_6/Pen&_Ink_4.html
"And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen."
In the liturgical calendar, the last Sunday before Lent begins is always devoted to the Transfiguration of Jesus; this year we read the account from the Book of Luke.
As we enter Lent, may we remember this glory revealed and seek to know its reality in our lives; may we learn to listen and when to keep silent.
It also seems fitting that this Sunday will be our daughter's first communion. She has been preparing for weeks and is very excited for this next step in her spiritual journey. I pray that as she kneels with her family at the altar to participate in this Blessed Sacrament, feeding on the bread of heaven and drinking of the new covenant, she too will know His Glory and be filled with His Grace.
We have struggled in our attempt to observe Sabbath as a family. At times, it has been difficult to stop just because the calendar says it is Sunday—the mountain of work looms, the interferences are many. Then when we first tried to truly carve out time to rest, it was hard to know what actually we should do with the time. Jean Vanier writes in The Broken Body, “Rest, relaxation and discipline are important. I am surprised, at L’Arche and elsewhere, that many people do not know how to rest. They are like rolling locomotives, fuelled by anguish, and perhaps by the fear of stopping. And when they do stop, it is just to sleep more or to potter around, not knowing what to do. Each one of us must find our own secret rhythm of how to rest, relax and find re-creation, for each one of our bodies is different…This is all the more important for those of us who are called to live with much tension and to carry great stress. This tension and stress that we experience as we live with wounded people can prevent growth and stimulate anger and exhaustion…” (p. 120).
By seeing Sabbath as a practice has helped us begin asking the right questions about what to do and how to go to learn how to enter into God’s rest for our souls. For us, we begin on Saturday night with a special meal, Scripture and prayer. As we light a candle it is a signal, the time for rest is now, the time for delight is here. We quiet ourselves and hear from God’s Word, the passage for the Sunday sermon. We then are more prepared as we go on Sunday to worship at our church, entering into a beautiful rhythm of prayer, praise, confession, teaching, and feasting. Then home for a family meal, sometimes with friends, sometimes just our family. Especially since we have little ones, we then find a period for napping or resting with music or a book is restorative. Back when we watched television we began to realize that for us we were not restored or uplifted after watching and we turned it off on Sundays during our Sabbath. We like to go on walks when the weather permits…or find other activities which will help the children to play quietly or have family time with a game or a favorite read-aloud. And then with our Sunday dinner meal, our Sabbath is over which gives us time to clean-up and prepare for the week ahead which becomes much different in light of a Sabbath rest. It is just what our family needs, but perhaps yours might look quite different.
But as we attempted Sabbath a new problem arose, in deciding that the Lord’s Day should be a place for restoration, other areas begin to suffer. At first resting on Sunday meant an overwhelming Monday, so much laundry, dishes, and dirt it was hard to begin again. I then began to prepare more on Saturday but then this became a crazy day of preparing meals, cleaning, running errands so that we all collapsed on Sunday and found it hard to enter into an attitude of worship and delight.
“…we have grown used to thinking of Sabbath observance as an add-on to the end of a busy week. Sabbath is a time for us to relax and let down our guard, to pause from the often anxious and competitive patterns of daily life. This is not what the Jews, those who first gave us the teaching about Sabbath, thought. In their view, Sabbath observance is what we work toward. As our most important and all-encompassing goal, it frames and contextualizes our planning, much as the desire to achieve a specific objective—a championship, a masterful performance, an exquisite meal or party—will require that we take the proper steps all along the way.Sabbath frames our entire life, helping us set priorities and determine which of our activities bring honor to God." (p. 22-23).
That is how an understanding of Sabbath became more and more life-shaping,changing our habits and sensibilities of what our work each day should look like. Why are we so exhausted by Sunday? What is my house such a mess? Why can’t I let go of the anxieties of my week? Why am I so drawn to escape during this time rather than experience true quiet and rest? How can I, in this present season of my life, deadlines from work nearing, or the parent of young children with constant demands, or requirements of serving in a particular ministry on Sunday, or…
It is Saturday evening and my Sabbath rest has almost begun. It was a day full of work to be able to enter into this rest. And now whether my work feels complete or not, I must rest.
Without rest, we become irritable, weary, depressed; we lose joy, stamina, patience. Our Heavenly Father rested and the world I care for is much, much smaller than His, so surely I can find the way to rest too.
The children are all snug in their beds, clothes and shoes laid out. Baby bags packed with bottles, diapers, and an extra change of clothes (because isn't it always on Sundays they want to leak through their clothes or forget they are potty trained?!) I remembered an extra snack for a quiet car ride home so hubby and I can enjoy the beautiful ride we have. Breakfast is made, the table set, even a slow-cooker dinner is waiting to be turned on. The house is clean and tidied (well, clean according my standards anyway) and we are caught up on laundry.
You may ask why bother with all of this extra work on Saturday, instead of spending it doing X, Y or Z?
It is because I am learning that the Lord's Day is the culmination of our week, as Abraham Heschel writes, "the Sabbath is not for the sake of weekdays; the weekdays are for the sake of Sabbath. It is not an interlude but the climax of living" (The Sabbathp. 14). And as Christians on this Holy Day, we celebrate the greatest mystery of our faith, Christ rose from the grave. Every Sunday is Easter again. And so, we worship and feast, kneeling to be fed spiritual food.
And amazingly, in a culture always driven for more, on the Sabbath we are told to stop.
Yes, there will still be some work to do: we live in a fallen world. Yes, despite my efforts, it will not be perfect day: we live in a fallen world. But this work was good work. This work will bring PEACE: rather than a morning rushed and busy, we will have calm and togetherness as we prepare for worship. This work will bring REST: rather than cooking and cleaning and folding, we will have time for a walk, a nap, good music, things which restore our souls. This work will bring JOY: a surprise baked into the morning oatmeal, a comfort meal for dinner, time for celebration. This work will bring THANKFULNESS: we can feel gratitude when we have time to delight in the fruit of our labor and in the great gifts we've received.
Norman Wirzba writes that the "Sabbath is a discipline and a practice" (Living the Sabbathp. 20) which means it is something we can get better at. Some weeks, I am not as prepared as this week, but God's grace is so abundant, He still accepts my worship and still restores my soul. Some Sundays, I enter church filled with worry, sleepiness, or nothing at all which is why I never tire of the opening prayer in our church service. Every week we acknowledge before God that He knows all that we bring and we ask for His help to worship aright:
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our
hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may
perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(How amazing that until Thomas Cranmer, this was a prayer only for the priest as he prepared for worship but now it is prayer that we all pray together.) However, while there is grace and forgiveness for all that we bring to church on Sunday, it does not lessen our need for Sabbath. The practice of Sabbath is an attempt to model or pattern our lives after God's: "Put simply, Sabbath discipline introduces us to God's own ways of joy and delight" (Wirzba p. 21). In Genesis, we see that God worked, rested, and delighted. This too should be our goal as the Commandment teaches,
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20
This Sunday is last of the year for those of us following the Church Calendar. How fitting to close the year by focusing on Christ's Kingship.
The Lectionary Readings:
John 18:33-37
Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm 93
Revelation 1:4b-8
The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God,
whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son,
the King of kings and Lord of lords:
Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin,
may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Special Food for the Day: A King's Cake. I will make a cake shaped like a crown in a bundt pan. We will use white icing and let the kids decorate with gumdrops for jewels (we also do this at Epiphany).
I also like the idea from Catholic Cuisine of preparing a meal fit for a king!
Other Activities and Customs:
Since this feast began in 1925 there are really no traditional activities. This means you can make up your own. There is so much you can do.
Discuss as a family our need for a just and wise King and Christ's unique way of ruling by serving.
Celebrate this day as a sort of New Year's Eve, reflecting on the highlights of the last year and using Scripture readings to lead you to new resolutions for the upcoming year (This is the last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Ordinary Time technically will not end until the Saturday night before Advent begins).
Though we pay special attention to Christ's kingship this day, He is King throughout the year. Discuss how we see Christ as King throughout the liturgy: in Advent, as we await His coming again in glory; in Christmastide, we see the coming of a King of Peace; at Epiphany, Christ adored by other Kings; at Lent and Good Friday perhaps his kingship can seem veiled to us but it is His Holy position that gives his suffering power and at Easter, He is the Triumphant Hero overthrowing evil to restore His Kingdom.
Also spend some time to prepare for Advent, a season of waiting and reflection so that we too may "Come and Adore Him."
I've always thought it fitting that the Sunday after we have celebrated the gift of the Holy Spirit, we then celebrate the Trinity. It especially seems helpful to set aside time in families to discuss this important doctrine of the Church and to answer questions about the mystery of three in one. And finally, it serves as a correction for the times when churches or individuals may focus only on one or two of the persons of God.
Trinity Sunday is one of the Principal Feasts in the Anglican church, beginning in the Anglican church when Thomas Becket was named Archbishop of Canterbury and quickly spread throughout all of Christendom.
Activites with children:
Discuss the metaphors (though imperfect) that can help us understand the Trinity: An Egg, a shamrock, pansy, a triangle.
Share the role of each person of God in your own life and places in Scripture all three persons are mentioned together. (John 16:12-15).
Read the Athanasius Creed, written in the 6th century. Discuss how it explains and defends the Trinity.
Discuss and practice the ancient practice of the sign of the cross. Perhaps focus on this practice as a family at meal times this week. Tertullian writes in the third century:
In all our undertakings — when we enter a place or leave it; before we dress; before we bathe; when we take our meals; when we light the lamps in the evening; before we retire at night; when we sit down to read; before each new task — we trace the sign of the cross on our foreheads.
Sing Hymns and Songs that focus on all three persons of God. The children love when we end by singing the Doxology, a practice which became part of the Western Church in the 5th century:
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, you heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen
