06/02/2024 ~ Proper 4 ~ Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Second Sunday after Pentecost ~ 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20); Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Psalm 81:1-10; 2 Corinthians 4:5-12; Mark 2:23-3:6 ~ Communion Sunday ~ VIDEO OF THE FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/954371538

Observing the Sabbath

“But the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh, your God. You shall not do any work…” — Deuteronomy 5:14.

One of my Seminary professors, the late Rev. Mr. Clifton Davis, grew up in Massachusetts in the 1940s and 50s. He got an Associate’s Degree from Paul Smith’s College in upstate New York when all they offered was an Associate’s Degree. He then went off to the University of Colorado in Denver and picked up a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Only at that point did Cliff hear a call to ministry and wound up at Bangor Theological Seminary more than thirty years before I wound up there. And of course, for most Mainline denominations a seminary education consists of 90 credit Master of Divinity degree from state accredited school.

Once ordained, he served churches in New Hampshire. But Cliff, a bookish kind of fellow, felt his real calling within ministry was to be a seminary librarian. And so he returned to Bangor having acquired the academic credential necessary to fill that slot at the graduate level— yet another degree— a Master’s Degree in Library Science.

Cliff had an interesting hobby for a member of the clergy. He brewed beer in the basement of his house. I know about this because I not only worked for Cliff at the library, I used my computer to pint labels for the pints he produced.

One thing about Cliff’s story should be obvious. Having become a seminary professor, a librarian, there was something Cliff no longer did: serve a local church.

People sometimes asked Cliff why he no longer served a local church. With a twinkle in his eye he would say, “Why would I serve a local church? After all, it’s against my religion to work on the Sabbath.” (Slight pause.)

These are words from the Torah in the work commonly called Deuteronomy: “But the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh, your God. You shall not do any work…” (Slight pause.)

I have said this here before: the first five books of the Bible are called the Torah. In English that word is often rendered as the Law. At best that rendering gives a poor understanding of what the word Torah means. The word Torah means “the Teachings.”

Indeed, as was noted when the passage from Deuteronomy was introduced and contrary to populist belief, the words of the Decalogue are not commands with the same sense one might assign in English. There is, after all, no command tense in Hebrew.

It also needs to be said when the commandments are referenced in Scripture, especially the Christian Scripture, the New Testament, most of the time the Ten are not being addressed. What is most often being referenced are the mitzvah. There are 613 mitzvah, 613 teachings in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Further, when examined with care, it should be evident the specific words we heard today are teachings about how relationships are acted out, about how relationship with God, with one another, with the environment in which we live, with self. Here’s another way to put it: these words are about covenant— covenant with God, covenant with one another, covenant with the environment in which we live, covenant even with self.

And yes, these specific words concern observing Sabbath. However, in a real sense a Sabbath is not about a specific day. A Sabbath is about our relationship with God, with one another, with the environment in which we live, with self.

Let me put that yet another way yet again. These words are about being empowered to do the ministry to which God calls us because we honor our relationship with God, with one another, with the environment in which we live, with self. (Slight pause.)

That leaves three questions open: what is the covenant about, really? What is ministry about, really? And how are these reflected in keeping Sabbath? (Slight pause.)

I can assure you of this: covenant is about growth. In order to be in covenant, in order to maintain covenant growth— dare I say this?— change, even constant change, is necessary.

In order to be in relationship with God, with one another, with the environment in which we live, with self, we need to grow. We need to change. In order to do ministry we need to be in relationship with God, with one another, with the environment in which we live, with self… and that all means grappling with change.

I hope something is, therefore, evident. A hallmark of the ministry to which we are all called by God is full engagement in growth. You’ve heard me say this already— growth in relationship with God, with one another, with the environment in which we live, with self.

So, how is covenant growth nurtured by Sabbath? These are the words Mark uses describe the position of Jesus concerning Sabbath: “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.”

Hence, I hope this is also evident. Growth needs to start with self. Therefore, each of us needs to first take care of self in order to empower growth.

And taking care of self is what Sabbath is really about— about people fully realizing themselves— who they are, who they have been, who they might become, how they might grow. This can be and is done by taking time— Sabbath being the label used here to address time— time taken to understand relationship with God and with self.

Paradoxically and hence, Sabbath is work. It is work on self so one can nurture growth in self and thereby in the context of community growth for and with others nurture that growth.

You see, once someone understands their relationship with God, one becomes more aware of self— self meaning who they are, who they have been, who they might become, their place in their own environment— only then can they begin to reach out to others in covenant love. And that work of reaching out is called ministry.

There is a danger here which is always lurking in the shadows. It’s that one will become quite satisfied with self or become tired or give up and hence, stop growing, and thereby stop engaging in ministry. So let me direct your attention back to that word— covenant— covenant— that word which is so central to Congregationalism— covenant means growth— covenant means growth. (Slight pause.)

And this brings us to a key point. If covenant, if ministry is about growth— growth of the individual which nurtures growth of community, then by definition ministry happens because of who you are, because of who we are as a community of faith, as an individual. Please note: ministry happens because of who you are and who we are, not because of what you do or what we do. What you do and what we do is only a result of who you are and who we are, a result of being engaged in covenant growth.

That, of course, has implications for who we are, the community of faith together. I believe that we are a people— both individuals and a community— called by God to growth, to change. So what do you think? Are we called to growth and to change? There is no doubt about this: we are called to ministry. So do you think growth and change is a requirement of that? Amen.

06/02/2024
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is a précis of what was said: “The fixation of our society on the Ten Commandments borders on and probably is anti-Christian. There is no question about that. Interestingly, our society borders on and probably is in about the same place as society in Roman Palestine in New Testament times— engaged in Empire, the Roman empire. When asked about the mitzvah, the commandments, Jesus said they no longer applied. Empire and fear no longer applied. Rather, we need to love God and love neighbor, said Jesus. And on loving God and loving neighbor hangs on all teachings and the prophets. And how are these teachings acted out? They are acted out in growth and relationships.”

BENEDICTION: Hear now this blessing: the work and the will of God is placed before us. Further, we are called to be faithful and seek to do God’s will and work. In so doing, may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God, that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.