Sabbath

THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!

Hallelujah!

¹¹ He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?

—Matthew 12:9-11—

THOUGHT:

Sabbath.  What does Sabbath mean to you?  Is it go to church, no work, etc.? Or is it OK to “work” on the Sabbath? And what kind of work? Looking at the scripture above, instigated evaluating what Sabbath means to me. 

It seems as if the aging process seems to accentuate memories, both good and bad.  On this Sabbath Day and many others, I remember a time, a long (long) time ago, as a little girl staying with my Grandma.  She was my father’s mother and was of German descent.  She loved to cook (and eat), loved to entertain, loved “knick-knacks” and curios of any kind, loved animals, loved Lawrence Welk (and the accordion with Myron Floren), and loved me!  It is one of the few times I remember getting a genuine hug from an adult that was not veiled in a façade of indentured servitude.  Sometimes the hugs would be less than gentle and last too long, but the purpose and sentiment was clear.  She loved me with all that she had.  

Now, when my brother and I stayed with Grandma, it was the LAW (or at least she made us think it was), that we must go to mass every morning at 6:00 a.m.  She would say “If God is up, we are up”. We weren’t just “up” but we were dressed to the hilt.  Our “Sunday Best” was every morning with Grandma.  For little girls like me, that meant a freshly ironed dress, white anklet socks with lace, patent leather shoes (white before Labor Day and black after), white gloves, and at that time, a hat was the law as well.  I remember my brother constantly pulling on the tie that she made him wear, till eventually he was able to tear it off and put in his pocket (that is until Grandma caught him and gave him “the look”) – you know what I’m talking about, don’t you?

Yet, in blatant opposition to her genuine piety, Grandma “worked” every Sabbath she was alive.  She would start at 4:00 a.m. and she wouldn’t stop until the “late” hour of 8:00 p.m. when she would retire. Cooking, cleaning, ironing, etc. etc.! Throughout the entire day though, her work was done with absolute and complete love.  Her family was always paramount and no one could convince her to relax if there was one meal to make, one family member to feed, one dish to wash, one curio cabinet to dust, and most importantly – one grandchild to hug.  Caring for her family was her “law”.

Now, these two “laws” seem to be in opposition to each other.  The Sadducees and Pharisees may be rebelling, adamantly touting their scriptural Old Testament laws. How can someone justify working on the Sabbath? The answer to legalists is complicated and intricate.

Yet, to Grandma, the answer was simplistic.  If you love God, and therefore you love family, the answer is not rocket science.  The answer is very, very simple.  God plus family plus “work” = Love.  

So, for all of us who struggle with what we should or should not do on the Sabbath, remember Grandma Anna.  She loved God with her entire being.  She worked hard to take care of her family.  She loved with her entire being.  Simple, right?  

PRAYER: 

Good Morning God of the Sabbath. We come to You in praise and honor on this special day of the week.  We welcome You into our hearts as we “Sabbath” together.  Help us to be discerning Christians who follow the law given to us by Moses, but also follow our hearts, with Godly work as we feed and clean and hug and love and CELEBRATE or friends and families.  Through our toil, help us to lift You up and glorify You!