If we ask what the sabbath is there for, we are asking about two different things. It is one thing to ask about its function, and another to ask what is meant by its ‘blessing’. (It is only in this sense that we can ask about a commandment.) What does it mean for us when God ‘blessed’ the seventh day? In the way the story of creation is told, it may first of all strike us that the human being celebrates the first sabbath before he himself has performed any work. So he shares God’s rest, not like God, by ‘celebrating from his (own human) works’, but by celebrating with God ‘from his (divine) works’. For the human being himself has as yet no works which he could contemplate. This relativity and relatedness remain the secret of the sabbath even after the human being has gone to work himself. The sabbath does not acquire its meaning from the act of working. It does not just belong to the people who have work. It belongs to all human beings. On the sabbath, human beings do not look at their own work, at least not primarily. Every sabbath is supposed to be like the human being’s first sabbath, when he had as yet no work of his own at which he could have looked back. The rest which is meant for human beings is to be found in the contemplation of God’s works, from which they live. If a person looks at these, his gaze becomes free. It is neither drawn downwards, because it is fixed on the part-work of his own hands, nor upwards at the success of his work, which elevates him above other people. It is not the fragments of what he does that he sees, and not the question of how he could perfect them; what he has before him are the perfect works of God.
Next week I am participating in the West Coast Worship Conference, February 2-4, 2012. WCWC is hosted by the Adventist Media Center in Simi Valley, California, and sponsored by the North American Division Church Resource Center, and the West Region of the Southern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. There’s a good line up of keynote speakers and presenters, with people like Doug Paggitt, Samir Selmanovic, and even Dan Jackson, the President of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
My workshop’s title is “The Church and the Community”, were I will tackle the challenge of being Jesus Christ’s presence in the world around us. We will explore the church’s activism and ministry in the community through theological reflection and cultural discernment, ending with some concrete and practical ways we can join God in his mission in the world, with special focus on the challenges of doing this in Suburbia. I’ll repeat the workshop twice on Friday, February 3, at 9:00 AM and 1:30 PM. Hope to see you there if you can make it out.
And what we are thankful for provides us with a subversive imagination. While the cybernetic revolution will tell us that the world is in the hands of those with the powerful computers and widest Net access, and while the forces of globalization arrogantly proclaim that those who control capital have a proprietary right to the resources of creation, we confess that this world is the inheritance of those who live in the light—not the din light of the Enlightenment, not the glittering lights of computer screens , televisions and gambling terminals, but the light that liberates us from the darkness. You see, friends, because we are not subservient to the empire but subjects of the kingdom of God’s beloved Son, we have the audacity to say to the darkness, “We beg to differ!” We will not be a pawn to the Prince of Darkness any longer, because we owe him no allegiance, and by God’s grace through our redemption and forgiveness, our imaginations have been set free.
Wow, I like this music video from Aradhna. They’re a group of Christian musicians who play in the Hindi tradition. Most of the vocals are in Sanskrit. However when translated to English they show thoughtful lyrics deeply rooted in Scripture. It’s some of the most refreshing music from Christians I’ve experienced in some time.
Here’s a song titled Mukteshwar, based on the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy; Praise the name of the God of Liberation; Sing my soul, Sing my soul; Those who are poor in this world; Blessed are they, blessed are they; For the kingdom of heaven is theirs …” [Full lyrics]. Enjoy!
The Calvary Church in Santa Ana, California, has produced an excellent take on N.T. Wright’s parable “The Violin Guild.” It is based on John 10:22-42, when the religious leaders reject Jesus, failing to see he is sent by God.
The Suburban Pastor is the personal blog of Jeff Gang. I’m a pastor at the CrossWalk Seventh-day Adventist Church in Redlands, California. This blog is a place for me to share my thoughts about ordinary life as a Jesus follower, pastor, husband, father of three, friend, and triathlete in my spare time.
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