Sabbath and Contemplation

Transcription

1 Sabbath and Contemplation

2 Welcome to Sabbath and Contemplation Introduction I am not an expert but I practice it I am aware of God when I practice it I am more tired, unaware, neglectful, and angry without it Sabbath is essential

3 Is this you?

4 Objectives Sabbath Contemplation Practice References

5 The Sabbath What is The Sabbath Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

6 Sabbath is a sacred time for rest What is Sabbath A Sunday a Monday an afternoon a Sabbath hour a Sabbath walk a drive a train ride

7 Remember... Remember the Sabbath remember that everything you have received is a blessing the delights in your life to play the fruits of your labor to stop to offer thanks

8 Sabbath - Wayne Muller Sabbath is more than absence of work; it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing or true. We feel guilty and ashamed when we are not working but Sabbath gives us permission. It commands us to stop. It does not require us to go far away, buy new things, get another degree, change jobs, change clothing. We only need to remember The Sabbath practice is to find the balance point of resting well, working well, living well.

9 No time Busy To savor life Love family Love friends Love mates Love our world

10 忙 Remember the Sabbath Chinese 忙 - busy - máng 忄- radical, xīn, means heart 亡 - phonetic element, wáng, means lose, disappear, perish, flee, and, by extension, can also mean to have none, there is not.

11 Thomas Merton Christian monk, poet, social activist, wrote over 70 books. There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence [and that is] activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. The frenzy of our activism neutralizes our work for peace.

12 An Interview with God - Jim Brown What surprises you most about mankind? Many things. That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again. That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, and live neither for the present nor for the future. That they live as if they will never die, and die as if they had never lived.

13 Rest

14 Interviews Rich Villodas - Lead Pastor at New Life Fellowship Church A. Redd Sevilla - Executive Director of the New Life Community Development Corporation

15 God Rested Creation God saw that it was good God created the land and the seas, plants and trees, on the third day and afterwards God saw that it was good. God made the sun, the moon, and the stars on the fourth day and afterwards God saw that it was good. God created the creatures of the sea and the sky on the fifth day and afterwards God saw that it was good. God created the creatures of the land, man, gave all life to man and afterwards God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1

16 God Refreshed Exhalation God created the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day, he rested and was refreshed. Exo 31:17 Refreshed in Hebrew is vayinafash, which means God exhaled All creation moves with the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation The life-giving cycle is not complete without the exhalation

17 God Rejoiced Sabbath invites us to step back and see that is good, to pause, appreciate, and enjoy all the blessings of life

18 Jesus Rested Jesus taught, healed, raised people from the dead. But He also would send people away, disappear without warning, dismiss those in need with neither excuse nor explanation, and retreat to place of rest. Jesus did not heal everybody or had been properly cared for. He did not ask for permission to go or go on call. When it was time to rest, and healing and work was over, then He would stop, retire to a quiet place, and pray. One translation of the biblical phrase, to pray means to come to rest. Prayer can be being in the presence of God.

19 Jesus Slept And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush, be still. And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? Christ Asleep during the Tempest - Eugène Delacroix Mark 4:37-41

20 Rest from Service - Anointing of Jesus Broken - Lyn Deutsch A woman breaks the alabaster jar of expensive perfume The jar could have been sold for good money and given to the poor Jesus says you will always have the poor with you, but you will now always have me Matthew 26:6-12

21 Rest from Service - Mary & Martha Christ in the House of Martha and Mary- Johannes Vermeer Martha invited Jesus to her home Martha is distracted by preparation while Mary listens and sits at Jesus feet Jesus says you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. Luke 10:38-42

22 Seed Dormant Jesus Seed Jesus Us Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds - John 12: 24 Jesus dies and is dormant for 3 days Us Our instant and convenient culture would want Jesus to be raised up in 2 days, or 1 day, or not die at all.

23 Henri Nouwen Priest, professor, worked with people with disabilities, authored books and hundreds of articles. Our lives have become absurd, which comes from the latin word, surdus, meaning deaf, inattentive We are called to be obedient, which comes from the latin word, audire, meaning to hear In sabbath, we are changed from speaking and noise to listening, silence, and obedience to God Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.

24 Lectio Divina Divine Reading 0. Preparation Lectio (reading) Meditatio (meditation) Oratio (prayer) Contemplatio (contemplation) & Incarnatio (living)

25 Time

26 Time & Money People with a lot of money and no time are called rich and people with a great deal of time but little money are poor. A successful life is one that is always terribly busy, working hard, accomplishing great things Since the 1950 s we are are more productive with automation and industrialization. We should have more leisure time. Yet we traded all that time for more work and greater pay. We spend more to buy a larger house and fill it with twice as much appliances, cars, clothes, and electronics. We either spend time to make money or spend time spending money

27 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) GDP is supposed to measure the wealth of a country by the total value of goods and services bought and sold per country Praying Contemplation Walking in the woods Hugs Talking to a friend in need Hosting stranger/friends/family Cooking a meal for a loved one Teaching people English Serving the homeless Caring, volunteering for a, family member, friend, child, the elderly, or the sick = $0.00

28 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Drive by shootings If the victim dies and there is a trial Over $100,000 Oil spills Air Plane Crashes 9/11 $20,750 Hundreds of $1,000,000,000 Prisons, Disease, Wars???

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30 Anywhere (San Francisco China Guatemala)

31 Anywhere (Queens Bryant Park Central Park)

32 Anywhere...(MoMA Church)

33 Gift from the Sea

34 Regrets of the Dying - Bronnie Ware Bronnie Ware worked in palliative care with dying patients She spent time with these people during their last 3-12 weeks of living She wrote a blog that was read by over 3 million people in its first year that discussed 5 regrets of the dying. I wish that I had let myself be happier I wish I didn t work so hard I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends

35 Family

36 Remembering the Sabbath - Summary Sabbath moments (doesn t have to be a full 24 hour workday) Journaling, reading, drawing Walking, sitting, running, biking Listening, awareness of your body, touch, smell, eating Encounters with strangers, friends, family Cafes, museums, parks, beaches, corner in your room Everywhere and Anytime because God is present all the time. The space, time, and relationship you spend with God Sabbath expectations: Don t expect a right way of doing it. Your relationship and time with God is personal so sabbath can be different for each person. Expect to make sacrifices in other areas. But your time with family, friends, your self, and God will be blessed

37 Internet Books D365.org The Upper Room Daily Devotional Devotional.upperroom.org Our Daily Bread Odb.org Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom (1999) - Henri Nouwen The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming The Way of Scripture Participant's Book (Companions in Christ) (2010) Emotionally Healthy... Spirituality Day by Day; Leader; Woman; Church; Leader Web and Misc Day One 2 Diary Journal App in IOS ($4.99 to $9.99) Journey - Diary, Journal App in Android ($ $3.99) Google Docs (Free) Silence & Stillness Cards

38 Thank You! Enjoy your Sabbath!!!