Lord of the Sabbath

For Thursday, October 4, 2018

One sabbath while Jesus was going through the cornfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. But some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’ Jesus answered, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions?’ Then he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.’

 On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come and stand here.’ He got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?’ After looking around at all of them, he said to him, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. Luke 6:1-11

Psalm 105:1-22, Hosea 5:8-6:6, Acts 21:27-36

Lord of the Sabbath

In the arms of those who love

on the warm sunlit ocean sands

in the quiet nights of music

that is where I find my sabbath rest.

Our sabbaths as children restricted

we jumped on our beds in crinoline

we read the funnies and made fun

imposed quiet for the adults' rest.

Oh the Lord of the Sabbath asks

would you save a sinking child,

would you help a homeless refugee,

on your imposed sanctuary rest?

We live to serve and exhaust ourselves

then we hide behind our holiness

Sabbath rest is a gift and a shrine

not a wall, a border, or our law.