DISQUS

daniel.t · 2 years ago

Andrew,

Great post. I too have been pondering the whole concept of Sabbath for a while now. I was really interested in the way you ended the post, suggesting that, "The sabbath is a retreat from space into eternity." I wonder if it really so much of a retreat from space (which you correlate to things) or if it is an overlapping of space and eternity, in which the sacredness of God breathes redemption into the space of the rest of our lives.

I tend to think of Sabbath as one of the regular glimpses that God is giving us of the already/not yet kingdom of God all around us. I find this lens helpful for considering what Sabbath is supposed to be, since, in my particular church background, Sabbath has had little to do with rest, celebration, hospitality, and connecting with God, and everything to do with retreating/ separating from the world around us.

What if Sabbath is about healing those who are wounded and crippled all around us?

andrewtatum · 2 years ago

Daniel,

Thanks for that clarification. What you (rightly, I thnk) point out is a possible difference between Heschel's view (a Jewish view) and one prevalent Christian view of the sabbath's role in the life of faith. I do love, however, the idea that, on the sabbath, we rest from our toil in the "world of the things of space" to experience a glimpse of eternity. Isn't this that in which we have been called by God to participate? Thanks so much for your comment. I look forward to more input.

Grace & Peace,
Andrew

beyondwords · 2 years ago

Andrew, thank you! The post created a Sabbath space for me--I'm going to bookmark it and refer to it regularly for that purpose.

andrewtatum · 2 years ago

Thanks so much...but may I suggest that you just read some Wendell Berry and Abraham Heschel instead of reading what I wrote...they say it much better anyway.

Blessings,
Andrew