sabbath

Sun Nov 9 18:15:05 EST 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

November 16 – Proper 28

Judges 4:1-7 <http://www.textweek.com/history/judg4.htm>  or Zephaniah 1:7,
12-18 <http://www.textweek.com/prophets/zeph1.htm> 
Psalm 123 <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm123.htm>  or Psalm 90:1-8,
(9-11), <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm90.htm>  12
1 Thessalonians <http://www.textweek.com/pauline/1thess5a.htm>  5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30  <http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/matt25b.htm> – The Parable
of the Talents

Although I love the march through Matthew 25’s virgins, talents, sheep and
goats, and the tension we have with Pauline justification, I’d like to
forego my typical musings on the lectionary and make a foray into a
stewardship of the body as we enter high-carb, high-stress time. 

I don’ know about you, but I have traditionally yo-yoed considerably with my
weight. During the summer I would be more active, eat less, and lose weight.
Then in September I would get busy, followed by October which ended with
massive amounts of Halloween candy which might last a few weeks,
successfully addicting me to daily glucose. Then would come November and
Thanksgiving, where overeating is a sport, rolling into December with
Christmas parties, Christmas dinners, Christmas cookies, and Christmas
cocktails. Carbs were ubiquitous. At the same time it got colder, so I was
less likely to walk or run outdoors. And so I would put on weight through
January (Superbowl) and February (Valentines’ Day). By March I desperately
needed a Lenten fast to pull myself together.

September was stressful for everyone, even those who had no damage. It was
disruptive at the very least, keeping us on our guard and launching us into
fight or flight (hunker down or evacuate). And now, here we are at November,
a time of year that can tend to be stressful for pastors. In many churches
this is  budget and pledging time. This year our congregational and personal
finances have been stressed by an economy that seems to be headed for global
recession. Additionally, many of our congregations had unexpected
out-of-pocket expenses post-Ike, covering deductibles, or for a few churches
losing everything. Add to this the stress of preparing for Christmas
programs and Christmas services, and we’re in trouble.

Stress causes your body to create cholesterol. The tiger appears in the
pathway ahead of us, our limbic system kicks in (fight or flight), the part
of your brain that is identical to a reptile’s brain. Your adrenal gland
begins producing epinephrine (adrenaline). Your liver immediately starts
producing cholesterol (just in case you’ll need it for a burst of energy).
Of course, if the burst of energy (exercise) doesn’t come, then the
cholesterol does what it’s second-best at: clogging arteries. If we live on
constant stress, as many of us did in September, constantly in fight or
flight, not taking Sabbath, not exercising, amped up on adrenaline, we’re
asking for cardiovascular disease. And since CVD is the number one killer of
American males, the bottom line is this: stress kills. The wages of stress
is death.

27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
(Matthew 6) <javascript:void(0);> *

It turns out that it’s quite the opposite.

23For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at
night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. (Ecc. 2:23)

Even at night, their minds do not rest. One bishop shared with me the
alcohol problem that in part led to his heart attack a few years ago. He was
going full speed and would get home at night and his mind would spin so that
he could not get to sleep. So he started drinking gin and tonics to loosen
up and fall asleep. Then more and more. Never falling down drunk, but
clearly dependent on something that was destroying his body. I too have been
in places where I’ve burned through the scotch a bit too fast. These are the
signs that we’re not taking care of our bodies.

Of all the things God has given us to manage – time, money, our bodies, our
families, the earth – your body is most personally yours. And it’s not a
renewable resource. We are all given one precious body with a beating heart
and breathing lungs to care for, and as much as I look forward to eternal
life, I don’t want to get there tomorrow because I was a poor steward of
what God entrusted to me. 

Most (not all) pastors and other church professionals tend to be
hard-working. You don’t do this for the money. You do this because you care.
You believe. God has placed a hope in our hearts that cannot be ignored. We
have been gifted and called to what we do. So we throw ourselves into it. We
sacrifice our bodies to the task, thinking this is Christian: sacrificial
love of the cross, right? I’m preaching to myself here. Not for a second
should this be confused with the cross. If Herod’s armies come and take you
away because you stood up for what is right, because you were a voice for
the voiceless, you exposed darkness to light, you did justice and loved
kindness and walked humbly with your God, and they crucify you, that’s
sacrificial love. But if we think that our ego-driven efforts to build a big
religious club and our misplaced need to keep the masses happy by catering
to every member’s idea of what they think we should be doing, all of which
results in our gluttonous, stress-driven eating, polluting of our bodies,
neglecting daily prayers and weekly Sabbath, neglecting daily exercise, and
being poor stewards of our selves is of God, we are deluding ourselves. This
is not sacrificial love. It is poor stewardship, like someone who doesn’t
change the oil on the car or rotate the tires. We worry about letting people
down, but if we end up in the hospital, how productive will we be then? If
we end up stressed, angry and bitter, how are we shaping a spiritually
centered, caring community? In the end we will destroy what we set out to
create. 

Okay, enough law. Now for some gospel. The third commandment may seem like
law, but it’s really gospel. God says you are commanded to take a day off.
That’s like a commandment to eat chocolate. 

9For six days you shall labor and do all your work.

 10But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; 

you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or
female slave, 

your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. (Ex 20)

Even your resident aliens working for you are not to work. They witnessed to
their lawn service guys by asking them not to mow on the Sabbath. This is
what a holy life looks like. I would argue that in this day and age that
means two days off a week. In an agrarian society the distinction between
house work and field work is blurry. If you work six days solid and take one
day off, you’re going to spend that day doing laundry, mowing the lawn,
balancing the checkbook, servicing the car and so on. You need a day of
housework and a day of Sabbath. On that day you shall do no work. Nada. You
walk a little, nap a little, read a little, pray a little. You share a good
meal of good food with good friends. You listen to your favorite music. You
play with your children. You lay in the back yard and gaze at the stars with
wonder and awe. No sermon prep. No email. I even tell John (my son) no
homework. God has mercifully commanded that we not do homework on the
Sabbath. He can choose: Saturday or Sunday. Pastor Kerry Nelson used to tell
his new member classes, after 5 on Thursday you won’t see me until Sunday
morning unless you have an emergency. 

So this is good news. You get a free day. God says so. It really doesn’t
matter if someone at church doesn’t agree. You have orders from a higher
authority. When I started my first call at St. Paul Davenport, Iowa, the
senior pastor, Bill Waxenburg told me I was not to work any more than three
nights a week, and he had better not see me anywhere near the church on my
day off. He had me divide each day in my little red book into three squares:
morning afternoon and evening, creating 21 squares for the week. I was to
“X” off 7-9 of those a week as “off” so that I didn’t become unbearable.
This was incredibly hard to do, and I failed more than I succeeded by to
this day I am deeply grateful that he taught me (and modeled, most of the
time) a healthy pattern of work and play. Young pastors take note: six days
shall you work your you-know-what off – five at church and one at home, but
the seventh shall be a Sabbath to the Lord. Enjoy it.

It turns out Sabbath has health benefits. It moves us out of fight or
flight, and back into a calm, paced, well-thought out state of mind. It
moves us out of our limbic system and back into our prefrontal cortex, the
part of our brain that ponders, feels compassion, listens, imagines and
lights up like a Christmas tree when we pray or meditate. 

31Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we
drink?” or “What will we wear?” 

32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 

33But strive first for the kingdom of God <javascript:void(0);> * and his
<javascript:void(0);> * righteousness, and all these things will be given to
you as well. (Mt. 6)

שלומ سلام Peace,

Mike Rinehart 

Michael Rinehart, bishop

The Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

12707 I-45 North Frwy, Suite 580

Houston, TX 77060-1239

281-873-5665

www.GulfCoastSynod.org <http://www.gulfcoastsynod.org/> 

cid:image001.jpg at 01C8E732.76E2DF60

2 Sundays until Advent:

NOVEMBER TEXTS

Lots of apocalyptic stuff

November 16 – Proper 28

Judges 4:1-7 <http://www.textweek.com/history/judg4.htm>  or Zephaniah 1:7,
12-18 <http://www.textweek.com/prophets/zeph1.htm> 
Psalm 123 <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm123.htm>  or Psalm 90:1-8,
(9-11), <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm90.htm>  12
1 Thessalonians <http://www.textweek.com/pauline/1thess5a.htm>  5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30  <http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/matt25b.htm> – The Parable
of the Talents

November 23 – Christ the King

 <http://www.textweek.com/prophets/ezek34.htm> Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
 <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm100.htm> Psalm 100 or
<http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm95.htm> Psalm 95:1-7a
 <http://www.textweek.com/pauline/eph1b.htm> Ephesians 1:15-23
 <http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/matt25c.htm> Matthew 25:31-46 – The Parable
of the Sheep and the Goats

ADVENT 2008

Sucedió como está escrito en el profeta Isaías:

Yo estoy por enviar a mi mensajero delante de ti,

el cual preparará tu camino.
Voz de uno que grita en el desierto:

"Preparen el camino del Señor,
 háganle sendas derechas.”

November 30 – Advent I

 <http://www.textweek.com/prophets/isaiah64.htm> Isaiah 64:1-9 – O that you
would tear open the heavens and come down…

 <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm80.htm> Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
 <http://www.textweek.com/pauline/1cor1a.htm> 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

 <http://www.textweek.com/mkjnacts/mark13b.htm> Mark 13:24-37 – But about
that day… no one knows, neither the angels… nor the Son…

December 7 – Advent II

Isaiah 40:1-11 <http://www.textweek.com/prophets/isaiah40a.htm>  – Comfort,
comfort ye my people… Every valley… Thou who tallest good tidings to Zion…
He shall feed his flock…
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm85.htm> 
2 Peter <http://www.textweek.com/epistlesrevelation/2peter3.htm>  3:8-15a
Mark 1:1-8 <http://www.textweek.com/mkjnacts/mark1a.htm>  – The voice of one
crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord!

December 14 – Advent III

 <http://www.textweek.com/prophets/isaiah61.htm> Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 – The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me…
 <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm126.htm> Psalm 126 or
<http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/lk1b.htm> Luke 1:47-55 (The Magnificat)
 <http://www.textweek.com/pauline/1thess5b.htm> 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 

 <http://www.textweek.com/mkjnacts/jn1b.htm> John 1:6-8, 19-28 – John: The
voice in the wilderness

December 21 – Advent IV

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16  <http://www.textweek.com/history/2sam7b.htm> 
Luke 1:47-55  <http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/lk1b.htm> (The Magnificat) or
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm89.htm> 
Romans 16:25-27 <http://www.textweek.com/pauline/rom16.htm> 

Luke 1:26-38 <http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/lk1a.htm>  – The Annunciation

CHRISTMAS 2008

Auf einmal waren sie von unzähligen Engeln umgeben, die Gott lobten:

d»Ehre sei Gott im Himmel! Denn er bringt der Welt Frieden und wendet sich
den Menschen in Liebe zu.«

December 24/25 – Christmas Eve/Day

Isaiah 9:2-7  <http://www.textweek.com/prophets/isaiah9b.htm> / Isaiah
62:6-12 <http://www.textweek.com/prophets/isaiah62b.htm>  / Isaiah 52:7-10
<http://www.textweek.com/prophets/isaiah52_53.htm> 
Psalm 96  <http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm96.htm> / Psalm 97
<http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm97.htm>  / Psalm 98
<http://www.textweek.com/writings/psalm98.htm> 
Titus 2:11-14  <http://www.textweek.com/pauline/titus2.htm> / Titus 3:4-7
<http://www.textweek.com/pauline/titus3.htm>  / Hebrews 1:1-4,
<http://www.textweek.com/epistlesrevelation/hebrews1_2.htm>  (5-12)
Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)  <http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/lk2a.htm> / Luke
2:(1-7), 8-20 <http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/lk2a.htm>  / John 1:1-14
<http://www.textweek.com/mkjnacts/jn1a.htm> 

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