Sunday Reflection: March 22, 2020 - Sabbath Spirit

The below video is from our church service, Grace Chapel UMC, on Sunday, March 22, 2020.

Mark 2:23-27 (NRSV)

One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.

2:23-28 In this controversy, Jesus and his disciples are accused of braking the Sabbath.  Picking grain by hand in another person's field was lawful.  The charge was that by rubbing the chaff from the kernels, the disciples were working on the Sabbath, which was forbidden. 

2:25-26 Jesus countered with reference to an incident in the life of King David.  When David and his followers ate the sacred loaves - the twelve loaves in the Tabernacle that only priests were allowed to eat - they broke the law.  But deeper principles were at work. 

2:27-28 Since Jesus is the Lord of humanity and since the Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, he is Lord...over the Sabbath.  As with Jesus' authority to forgive sins, this was a claim to divine authority.

Reflection:  As a society, we have been go, go, go!  I feel as if God is trying to remind us what the Sabbath should look like.  We are not supposed to feel exhausted, overworked, depression, anxiety, or empty.  As Pastor Courtney stated, "We were created to live with a rhythm.  Our Saturdays have returned back to us since everything has been canceled."  I checked out the book, God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God and plan to begin reading it this week.  I know God is with us through all of this and I know He loves us.  Our church sang the following song at the end of service yesterday.  If you are struggling, it is worth listening to. 

Good Grace by Joel Houston

Don't let your heart be troubled hold your head up high

Don't fear no evil fix your eyes on this one truth

God is madly in love with you

Take courage hold on be strong remember where our help comes from