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THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR WORSHIP JUNE 8-29
The practice of Sabbath Keeping is counter-cultural. It has several dimensions. It is not just a day set aside. It is an orientation toward life. The facets of Sabbath practice include ceasing, resting, embracing, and feasting. Sabbath is a holy practice for a day that reminds us and affirms that all of reality is holy.
Our Shadow Rock July Sabbath-Keeping is the most profound countercultural message we have. We are a WISE congregation, we married same gender couples before it was legal, we challenge traditional understandings of greeting card holidays such as Mother’s and Father’s Days, we offered sanctuary to people under threat of deportation, we celebrate diversity, and we strive to be an "economically just" congregation. We consider these things to be cutting-edge. They are small daggers compared to the deep practice of Sabbath Keeping. Our July Sabbath challenges the deepest-held convictions that shape our culture. It is the most cutting-edge ministry of our congregation.
The Sundays between now and July are for the preparation of our time in July, when we do not gather for worship and the office is closed.
June 8 Sabbath Ceasing
Word About Life for Today
We will consider many aspects of Sabbath ceasing—to cease not only from work itself, but also from the
- need to accomplish and be productive,
- from the worry and tension that accompany our modern criterion of efficiency,
- from our efforts to be in control of our lives as if we were God,
- from our possessiveness and our enculturation,
- and, finally, from the humdrum and meaninglessness that result when life is pursued without the Spirit of Life and Love at the center of it all.
June 15 Sabbath Resting
Word About Life for Today
We might wonder how anyone can possibly truly rest when there is so much to do. As we will discover in this section, an added benefit of a day of complete physical rest is that
- it gives us extra strength and zeal for the tasks of the other six days.
- Moreover, a day especially set aside for worship teaches us to carry the spirit of worship into our work.
- Furthermore, to give ourselves a day’s break from emotional and intellectual problems enables us to come back to them with fresh perspectives, creative insights, and renewed spirits.
June 22 Sabbath Embracing
Word About Life for Today
We are always either letting go or embracing. Embracing Sabbath values with intentionality and deliberateness will help us build a lifestyle of Sabbath Keeping. Embracing Sabbath values means we embrace the values of our community. We embrace inclusion, justice, and intimacy of Spirit as priorities that shape our life together and our individual lives outside the community. In making this choice, we prioritize time over space and giving over requiring. In response to the grace of God, we gladly embrace our calling in life, and in the fullness of healing brought by our relationship with God, we can embrace the wholeness of God’s shalom. Ultimately, all these Sabbath gifts enable us to fully embrace the world.
June 29 Sabbath Feasting
Word About Life for Today
There are eternal dimensions of our Sabbath feasting. Bring your awareness of the infinite with you when listening to music, considering beauty, eating food, and giving and receiving affection as ways to feed your soul. Resources for our celebrations. Sabbath ceasing, resting, embracing, and feasting gives you Sabbath joy.
This framework and the messages are informed by Marva J. Dawn and her book, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.
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