If you didn’t get enough Sabbath stuff last weekend, Mike will be preaching on that subject during all our Sunday morning services.

Here are some quotes from Heschel.

Creating holiness in time requires a different sensibility than building a cathedral in space: “We must conquer space in order to sanctify time.”

There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern.” 3

In our daily lives we attend primarily to that which the senses are spelling out for us: to what the eyes perceive, to what the fingers touch. Reality to us is thinghood, consisting of substances that occupy space; even God is conceived by most of us as a thing. The result of our thinginess is our blindness to all reality that fails to identify itself as a thing, as a matter of fact. 5

The higher goal of spiritual living is not to amass a wealth of information, but to face sacred moments 6

Spiritual life begins to decay when we fail to sense the grandeur of what is eternal in time. 6

Judaism teaches us to be attached to holiness in time, to attached to sacred events, to learn how to consecrate sanctuaries that emerge from the magnificent stream of year. The Sabbaths are our great cathedrals; and our Holy of Holies is a shrine that neither the Romans nor the Germans were able to burn. 8

The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world. 10

Six days a week we wrestle with the world, wringing profit from the earth; on the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul. The world has our hands, but our soul belongs to Someone Else. Six days a week we seek to dominate the world, on the seventh day we try to dominate the self. 13

To the biblical mind, however, labor is the means toward an end, and the Sabbath as a day of rest, as a day of abstaining from, toil, is not for the purpose of recovering one’s lost strength and becoming fit for the forthcoming labor. The Sabbath is a day for the sake of life. Man is not a beast of burden, and the Sabbath is not for the purpose of enhancing the efficiency of his work. “Last in creation, first in intention,” 14

Not only the hands of of man celebrate the day, the tongue and the soul keep the Sabbath. One does not talk on it in the same manner in which one talks on weekdays. Even thinking of business or labor should be avoided. 14

It must always be remembered that the Sabbath is not an occasion for diversion or frivolity; not a day to shoot fireworks or to turn somersaults, but an opportunity to mend our tattered lives; to collect rather than to dissipate time. 18

The soul cannot celebrate alone 19

It is one of life’s highest rewards, a source of strength and inspiration to endure tribulation, to live nobly. The work on weekdays and the rest on the seventh day are correlated. The Sabbath is the inspirer, the other days inspired. 22

The words: “On the seventh day God finished His work” (Genesis 2:2), seem to be a puzzle. Is it not the Lord made heaven and earth” (Exodus 20:11)? We would surely expect the Bible to tell us that on the sixth day God finished His work. Obviously, the ancient rabbis concluded, there was an act of creation on the seventh day. Just as heaven and earth were created in six days, menuha was created on the Sabbath.

“After the six days of creation-what did the universe still lack? Menuha. Came the Sabbath, came menuha, and the universe was complete.” 22

To the biblical mind menuha is hte same as happiness and stillness, as peace and harmony. The word with which Job described the state after life he was longing for is derived from the same root as menuha. It is the state wherein man lies still, wherein the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. It is the state in which ther ei sno strife and no fighting, no fear and no distrust. The essence of good life is menuha. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters” (the waters of munuhot). In later times menuha became a synonym for the life in the world to come, for eternal life. 23

The solution of mankind’s most vexing problem will not be found in renouncing technical civilization, but in attaining some degree of independence of it. 28

It is a day in which we abandon our plebeian pursuits and reclaim our authentic state, in which we may partake of a blessedness in which we are what we are, regardless of whether we are learned ornot, of whether our career is a success or a failure; it is a day of independence of social conditions. 30

The Sabbath is no time for personal anxiety or care, for any activity that might dampen the spirit of joy. The Sabbath is no time to remember sins, to confess, to repent or even to pray for relief or anything we might need. It is a day for praise, not a day for petitions. Fasting, mourning, demonstrarions of grief are forbidden. 30

It is a sin to be sad on the Sabbath day. 31

“Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work (Exodus 20:8). Is it possible for a human being to do all his work in six days? Does not our work always remain incomplete? What the verse means to convey is: Rest on the SAbbath as if all your work were done. Another interpretation: Rest even from the thought of labor.”32

All flesh is grass, all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field…

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever. 40

After the work of creation was completed was completed, the Seventh Day pleaded: Master of the universe, all that Thou hast created is in couples; to every day of the week Thou gavest a mate; only I was left alone. And God answered: The Community of Israel will be your mate. 51

Thus the meaning of that word on Sinai was to impress upon Israel the fact that their destiny is to be the groom of the sacred day, the commandment to espouse the seventh day. 52

According to the Talmud, the Sabbath is me’en ‘olam ha-ba, which means: somewhat like eternity or the world to come. 74

Unless one learns how to relish the taste of Sabbath while still in this world, unless one is initiated in the appreciation of eternal life, one will be unable to enjoy the taste of eternity in the world to come. Sad is the lot of him who arrives inexperienced and when led to heaven has no power to perceive the beauty of the Sabbath… 74

There is much that philosophy could learn from the Bible. To the philosopher the idea of the good is the most exalted idea. but to the Bible the idea of the good is penultimate; it cannot exist without the holy. The good is the base, the holy is the summit. Thing created in six days He considered good, the seventh day He made holy. 75

We have known profanity too long and have become accustomed to think that the soul is an automation. The law of the Sabbath tries to direct the body and the mind to the dimension of the holy. It tries to teach us that man stands not only in relation to nature but in a relation also to the creator of nature. 75

With our bodies we belong to space; our spirit, our souls, soar to eternity, aspire tot he holy. The Sabbath is an ascent to the summit. It gives us the opportunity to sanctify time, to raise the good to the level of the holy, to behold the holy by abstaining from profanity. 75

We usually think that the earth is our mother, that time is money and profit our mate. The seventh day is a reminder that God is our father, that time is life and the spirit our mate. 76

In the language of the Bible the world was brought into being in the six days of creation, yet its survival depends upon the holiness of the seventh day. 76

The quality of holiness is not in the grain of matter. It is a preciousness bestowed upon things by an act of consecration and persisting in relation to God. 79

If you have not picked up your copy of the Transformation Journal,  we will not start the daily readings until January 18th, so there is still plenty of time.We will have another batch of journals in stock next weekend. Don’t forget that you can pre-order on our church website by clicking here.

There are many changes/goals/resolutions that we think about when a new year begins, but I think Wesley’s prayer is a great reminder of what’s really important to think about as the calendar changes to January.

Here is the prayer.

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

I’d be curious to hear what agenda items sounds interesting to you… Drop me a comment.

Dear YPN Participant,

Happy New Year to each of you!  Mike and I just finished a phone conference putting together the agenda for our retreat on the 26, 27 and 28 of this month.  Your comments and suggestions were pivotal in determining the content of this retreat.  I wanted to give you a heads up on what we’ll be doing. We know several of you cannot attend, but we wanted to keep you in the loop of information.

On Monday afternoon Mike and Carolyn and LaVon and I will devote a session to the personal and family side of leading large churches.  We’ll look at the struggles and the successes we’ve had in our personal lives and what we’ve learned about balancing church and family.

On Monday evening LaVon and Carolyn will lead a session for spouses based upon work they’ve done before while Mike and I will lead a session for you on preaching.  Mike will take an hour and share with you his preaching style, theory and offer examples.  Then I’ll take an hour and share with you a bit of my preaching philosophy along with a number of concrete ideas.  We’ll be providing you a gift copy of my book Unleashing the Word at this session.

On Tuesday from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. we’ll divide the group in half so we can have more interaction with you.  Mike and I will each take half of the group and look at the essential lessons we learned in leading a church from 100 to 1,000.   Then from 10:30 to noon we’ll flip the groups so you’ll have a chance to interact with whichever of us you were not with in the early session.

We felt you might want to have some down time to pray, walk the beach, play and reflect upon what you’ve heard and experienced, so from lunch until 7:00 p.m. we’re providing free time for you to network or play or enjoy the resort.

On Tuesday night we’ll do a bit of improv – inviting you to bring your questions about any dimension of ministry, theology or family life you’d like to discuss.

On Wednesday from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. Mike will lead a session on his book, Money Matters.  Each of you will receive a complimentary copy of the book.  He will address annual stewardship campaigns in the local church.  Then from 10:30 a.m. to noon I will lead you in a session on buildings, master planning and capital campaigns.

LaVon and Carolyn are planning another session for the spouses at some point during this retreat.  We also want to be sensitive to the fact that some spouses will be interested in attending some of the clergy sessions.

We’re looking forward to our time with you in Florida, and to getting to know you better over these three days.  This will be a terrific retreat and we wanted to give you a quick overview!

When I think about studying the Bible, the word “together” is a really important word. What I’ve found to be true for most people is that the desire to study the Bible is already present. The barriers are finding the right resources and the encouragement necessary for the journey. Last spring, I wrote the Friday playlists to help address those major barriers. I am really excited about shifting my energy to this new resource and church-wide initiative we are about to begin.

Which brings me to an announcement of sorts…

Starting the first of February, I will begin teaching a large group Bible Study in the sanctuary every Tuesday night which will serve as a supplement to the Transformation Journal. For many years I have wanted to teach a class like this, and in less than a month, it will finally get started. If you are not able to be present on Tuesday nights, we will also be podcasting each week. You will be able to subscribe from this blog and from our church website. I will be using this new category here on the blog for class information, handouts, etc. so if you ever want to know what’s going on, just click on “Transformation Journey” at the top of this page. So, again, here’s the important details.

Transformation Journey Bible Study
Location: Sanctuary
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.*
Start Date: February 3rd
Preview Date: We’ll have a short preview night on January 20th to introduce this new opportunity!

*Our Adult ministry team is working on having dinners for us each week at 6:00 p.m. in the youth area prior to each week’s session. We hope this increases your chance to participate. Still working on details for Children’s activities. We’ll announce that soon.

**One more thing… If you want to pick up your copy of the Transformation Journal, you can order those by clicking here. Our Adult ministry staff will order that for you and it will be available to pick up at church!

We play the Handbell game on Wii Music!

What would your life look like if you committed to making 2009 a “Year of Living Biblically?” What parts of your life would have to change? What would be the biggest challenge for you? How might your life look different in 365 days? We consider the Bible to be a book of incredible wisdom and promise, but do we really understand what it means to live Biblically? From the seemingly bizarre instructions we sometimes find in the Old Testament to some of the more radical ideas that Jesus offers, all of us are sometimes left to ponder, what does it mean to live according to the Bible? I want to invite you to join me on a special journey as we explore these questions and how God might be calling us to live in the new year ahead.

During this series, I’ll be sharing these four messages.

January 3rd : Experiencing the gift of Sabbath

January 10th : The Blessing of Boundaries

January 17th : Pursuing a lifestyle of Holiness

January 24th : Living in the year of Jubilee

*Sermon audio will be linked here following each week.

Each of these services will end with the singing of Silent Night, the lighting of the Christ Candle which sits at the center of our Advent Wreath and the passing of that light to all who are gathered on this Holy Night! 

To get you in the mood for worship, I want to invite you to listen to this beautiful rendition of one of my favorite hymns of this season.