Pentecost 13
Isaiah 58:9b-14, Luke 13:10-17

Dear friends in Christ,

When was the last time you had a day to do nothing? A day where there was no work to be done, a day where there were no errands to run, a day where the schedule was “unscheduled” and you were free to “just be” in the present moment? Maybe that’s happened for you this summer, as you’ve had the chance to get away and just “be.” And there may be a few of you who are in that life stage where such days are possible, perhaps a retiree, but most retirees I know say they are busier now than ever. In both the lesson from Isaiah and the gospel from Luke, the Sabbath is the focus. And what comes forth from both lessons is that Sabbath, a day of rest, is to be understood as a great blessing for us, and not a burden. It’s a time for joy and renewal, not criticism and obligation. And so this morning I want to focus on this, the blessing of Sabbath, in hopes that we can all come to a renewed sense of appreciation for the joy of Sabbath rest.

“When was the last time you had a day to do nothing?” That’s really what Sabbath is, a day to relax, worship, and renew. It’s more than just a nice idea. It’s part of our DNA as human beings and certainly is part of our spiritual calling. Most people are familiar with commandment 3, “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.” This command carries over in much of scripture such as in Isaiah 58 where it says we are to “call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable.” But, in our world, our human nature can easily get defensive around this particular commandment. Excuses quickly become justified when we say, “I’m working two jobs to support my family” or “How can I take time for a Sabbath day when I have so much to do?” Another complaint I frequently hear is when parents share about the enormous demands on their children’s time with traveling sports, homework and extra curricular activities. These activities seem to drive the schedule of the whole family, sometimes to the point where the weekend withers away and Sabbath rest becomes a fantasy.

But we need this Sabbath rest. Physically and emotionally, we need time to re-charge. I’ve known people who are so busy and stressed, it’s not until they get physically sick that they stop to rest. That’s no way to live. That’s not what God intends for us. We need Sabbath to be healthy. I don’t know about you, but I can tell, physically and emotionally, when I need Sabbath. My temper gets short. I want to withdraw. I feel like it’s all falling on me, that I have to do it all. I just can’t take one more problem entering my life. It’s then I know it’s time to renew and re-charge, so I can move forward in life more positively.

Jesus was very busy. He was so busy that he needed to go away alone to the mountains to pray. Even Jesus took time to refresh, renew and recharge. When we take time for Sabbath, for rest, for prayer and for time with God, it changes us. When I stop, breathe, and pray, I become aware of my surroundings, of my neighbors, and of my faith community. I am brought back to God’s action on my behalf, that it’s not all up to me. When I try to fill the well with my own gifts, strength and might, I wear out. When I take time for Sabbath rest, for holy moments with God, I’m brought back to the clear reminder that I’m not the one in charge. I’m not the one who is in control and I cannot possibly be any good to anyone without filling up my soul with the source of life, which is our Lord Jesus Christ. It is an act of arrogance for any of us as God’s children to think that we do not need Sabbath or don’t have time for Sabbath.

In preparation for this message, I found a beautiful modern day version of the 23rd Psalm. It calls each of us back to where we need to be as we remember and reclaim Sabbath rest in our lives.

“The Lord is my Pace setter—I shall not rush. The Lord makes me stop for quiet intervals; God provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity; the Lord leads me in ways of efficiency through calmness of mind, and His guidance is peace. Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day, I will not fret, for God’s presence is here, God’s timelessness, God’s all importance, will keep me in balance, God prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity…” (Tokio Megashie).

Just reading part of that Psalm invites me to slow down, trust in God, and to be drawn into the Sabbath rest of the Lord. How do you take Sabbath time in your life? We all need to find it, if we are to be all God wants us to be.

Sabbath is to be a blessing in our life, and not a burden. In the gospel lesson, Jesus shows the blessing and renewal of Sabbath in a way for everyone to see. He heals a woman, on the Sabbath, who had been bent over and crippled for 18 long years. The healing brought a release of her burden, renewal and joy in her life. It was wonderful that this woman was healed. It’s even more wonderful to understand that with Sabbath rest in our lives, we all can be released from whatever it is that is burdening us and causing us to be bent over and crippled.

But, there was a leader from the synagogue present who did not view Sabbath as a blessing. Sabbath, by his way of thinking, was about following the rules of the day. It was an obligation, a duty, a requirement to be fulfilled. If the rules were followed, that’s all that mattered. It wasn’t about rest, renewal, and joy, it was about keeping the rules.

So, when Jesus healed this woman on the Sabbath, this man quotes the rule. “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” What a joyless, legalistic, and angry response. The woman’s health didn’t matter. The healing touch of Jesus didn’t matter. All that mattered was the rule. You don’t work on the Sabbath, and healing was work. You broke the rule.

Jesus did break the rule, to make an important point. People are more important than rules. This Pharisee was at the point where the rules, ruled him. He was at the point where the rules had superseded the health and well being of another human being. How sad that is when the rules dehumanize another and cause such callousness.

But Jesus shows us a different way. Jesus shows us a better way. Jesus shows us the gospel, the good news that we are free to care for and love others, even if it means breaking the rules. Let me share this gospel point of view with the following story:

There was a certain man who went through the forest seeking any bird of interest he might find. He caught a young eagle, brought it home and put it among the fowls and ducks and turkeys, and gave it chicken food to eat, even though it was the king of birds.
Five years later, a naturalist came to see him and, after passing through the garden, said ‘That bird is an Eagle, not a chicken.’ ‘Yes’ said the owner, ‘but I have trained it to be a chicken. It is no longer an eagle.’‘No,’ said the naturalist, ‘it is an eagle still; it has the heart of an eagle, it has the wing span of an eagle, and I will help it soar high up in to the heavens.’ ‘No,’ said the owner. ‘it is a chicken and will never fly.’
They agreed to test it. The naturalist picked up the eagle, held it up and said with great intensity. ‘Eagle, thou art an eagle; thou dost belong to the sky and not to this earth; stretch forth thy wings and fly.’ The eagle turned this way and that, and then looking down, saw the chickens eating their food, and down he jumped. The owner said; ‘I told you it was a chicken.’ ‘No,’ said the naturalist, ‘it is an eagle. Give it another chance tomorrow.
So the next day he took it to the top of the house and said: ‘Eagle, thou art an eagle; stretch forth thy wings and fly.’ But again the eagle, seeing the chickens feeding, jumped down and fed with them. Then the owner said: ‘I told you it was a chicken.’
‘No,’ asserted the naturalist, ‘it is an eagle, and it has the heart of an eagle; only give it one more chance, and I will make it fly tomorrow.’
The next morning he rose early and took the eagle outside the city and away from the houses, to the foot of a high mountain. The sun was just rising, and every crag was glistening in the joy of the beautiful morning. He picked up the eagle and said to it: ‘Eagle, thou art an eagle; thou dost belong to the sky and not to the earth; stretch forth thy wings and fly.’ The eagle looked around and trembled as if new life were coming to it. But it did not fly. The naturalist then grabbed its head and made it look straight at the sun. Suddenly it stretched out its wings and, with the screech of an eagle, it flew out of his hands and mounted higher and higher and never returned. Though it had been kept and tamed as a chicken, it was an eagle.

The message is this. There are many that want us to be ducks, and turkeys, and chickens in this world. There are many that want us to live by certain rules and limitations and then tell us the rules to live by. We can do that, like the Pharisee, allowing the rules to rule us. But, in Christ, that’s not who we are. We aren’t turkeys or chickens or ducks, tamed and domesticated. We’re eagles, with our eyes pointed to the sun, free to love and serve and rejoice in the Sabbath. Sabbath is not intended to be a legalistic burden, but a true blessing and our opportunity to soar in the Lord!
As you come for Sabbath worship, I do hope you’ll take this lesson seriously. The Sabbath is intended to be a time of joy in the Lord, not a burden. We come to be filled and refreshed, not to criticize, because of duty or obligation. Now I know how hard this can be as human beings. As a pastor, I admit I have a hard time worshipping at other places, because it’s so easy for me to look and focus on the way things are done. Are the rules being followed? Is the music what I like, how about the way the liturgy is sung, the sermon delivered, communion distributed. Are they doing it right, at least the way I think is right? Well, that’s not worship. We need to let that go, and allow the worship to be what it is, knowing that God works through whatever form it takes to bring his love and grace.

In two weeks we begin a brand new fall schedule for worship. At 8:30 we’ll come together for a festive liturgical communion service using the resources of the new, red Evangelical Lutheran Worship Book. We’ll be introducing new liturgies, new hymns, as well as keeping things familiar. We’re working on presenting the very best liturgical service possible on a weekly basis. At 10:45 we’ll offer a contemporary format, a service much like we do at our summer outdoor services. It’s a way to bring in more of the contemporary Christian music widely used today, some of which is now in our new hymnal. We’re working on presenting the very best contemporary service possible. With either style we are one church united in the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the middle education hour we’ll have fellowship and education opportunities for people of all ages, including new enrichment opportunities for youth and adults. I pray you will come to worship to be renewed and refreshed, not under obligation or burden. I pray you’ll come open to the Spirit, not focused on any perceived rules or way of doing things we may or may not be keeping. I pray you will come to hear and then live the gospel, to be the eagles God wants us to be. By doing so you will be rightly keeping the Sabbath and it will truly be a day of blessing. Amen