Lord of the Sabbath

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28

I got up early this morning as I had an early physical therapy appointment and needed extra time on the roads after a storm. I worried a bit about my walking as there was a good bit of ice under my feet. The storm had left us a pile of snow which covered all the dangerous icy spots. Stopping to look around me before I set out, I couldn't help but smile. The sky was bright blue and the world was covered in a blanket of white. Pristine and elegant, quiet and inviting. I took a sabbath moment to rest my anxiety and to revel in the beauty of creation around me. There were struggles behind and struggles ahead. And in the midst of all life's struggles, there it was again - beauty. Beuaty taking my breath away, beauty putting a prayer of thanksgiving on my lips, and beauty transforming a struggling moment into a moment of sabbath rest and restoration.

Sure, there is more shoveling to do and sure there is lots to worry about. And God invites us in the middle of the worry and the work, the therapy and the trauma, the letting go and giving in, to rejoice. God invites us to fill our lungs, our bellies, our eyes with the sights and sounds of God revealed beauty in creation. And God, who is love, promises to stand with us as we breath in, and as we bend again to our labors. May we all have the courage to take a deep breath today. May we invite sabbath into our beings so deeply that God's love and renewal and planted permanently and deeply within us all.