Every September I take a few days to get away and pray about the sermons for the coming year.  My prayer ever since seminary has been, “What is the good news for this people at this time?”  Every year God has honored that prayer by prompting me to preach sermons that I believe have something to do with things with which we are struggling.  However, never has that prayer been answered as powerfully as it was a number of years ago.  I kept getting this strong sense in my soul that God was saying, “My people need to rediscover Sabbath rest.” 
          I thought to myself, “I know I do.  I stay busy.  I plan busy.  I get nervous when doing nothing.  I get tired and it’s easy to lose a sense of balance in my schedule.  I think rediscovering rest is a good idea.”  But the Spirit of God began to turn up the heat on that walk on the beach.  It seemed as if God were speaking to my soul saying, “I’m not talking about mere relaxation.  I’m talking about Sabbath rest essential for the soul.  I’m talking about discipleship.   I’m not talking about unhealthy lifestyles.  I’m talking about sin.  Sabbath rest is not a luxury that only a few can afford, it's a necessity for those that want to grow in Christ.” 

This last September I happened to be praying that same prayer, “What is the good news for this people at this time?” The subject of Sabbath Rest came to me again.  I protested that I had already preached on this topic six years ago and there are so many other topics in the scriptures.  The Lord reminded me that my family members were the only ones to hear those sermons and they had probably forgotten most of it.  So, what is the gospel for A&M United Methodist Church this Easter Season? Sabbath rest.  For the next seven weeks we will spell out S-A-B-B-A-T-H, what it means, and what impact it can have on our lives.  Let us pray: Dear Lord, we commit this season to you as one of rediscovering your Sabbath.  Guide us in all that it means.  Amen.

The beginning of Sabbath is the beginning of time.  The first time a 7^th day rolled around, we find Sabbath and discover God started it.  We find it in Genesis 1:31-2:3.  Hear the word of the Lord:  

³¹God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. ¹Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. ²And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. ³So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

This is the Word of God for the people of God.  Thanks be to God.  In this passage the author of Genesis reported to his readers that the Lord God stepped back from Creation enjoying its harmony.  The first thing we discover about Sabbath is that the S is for Set Aside.  God blessed this day.  God sanctified this day.  That is, God set it aside as holy - special, wonderful.  So as we begin this series on Sabbath, let me greet you as you would be greeted in any Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath.  Shabbat Shalom.  Sabbath Peace.

Set aside the Sabbath for reassessment.

God looked at it all after creation was complete and reassessed it.  From the third day on, as the day would draw to a close, God looked things over and saw that it was good.  There are two different words for good in Hebrew.  One is ethical, like a good boy, a child who does what he ought to do.   The other kind of good is aesthetic, like a good sunset, a beautiful thing that pleases the observer.  It is this word that is used to describe God's assessment.  It is good.  It is beautiful.  It pleases the artist.  When everything was complete, God looked at it all together.  The trees, plants and fields.  The sun, moon  and stars.  The fish and birds, the livestock and wild game, and finally man and woman.  Each element of creation was good - beautiful.  All together God's final assessment was very good - very beautiful!
          When I was in High School, Ron was my best friend.  Ron had the most limited diet of any human being I have ever known: Peanut butter sandwiches, French fries and chocolate milk – every day.  When I would have an excellent dinner, be it Chinese food, chili, fried fish and Italian food, I found it impossible to communicate with him because of his limited palate.  I fear that my appreciation for art in my recent trip to Rome was parallel to Ron’s appreciation for food.  I have gone to a few museums, but there is no way I could have been prepared for what I discovered in the sculptures of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.  These masterpieces from the 17^th century nearly caused me to weep.  In one sculpture where a man’s hand touched a woman’s side there was a perfect indention.  Robes of marble flowed more gracefully than if they had been made of silk.  I found myself gazing at details like never before - shadows, textures, muscles, expressions.  Each detail looked like a masterpiece in and of itself, but only upon stepping back and viewing the entire sculpture could a true appreciation emerge.  Each element was good, beautiful, but it was the entire sculpture that was very good, very beautiful.
          That's the purpose of Sabbath.  Step back from your week's worth of activities.  Forget for a moment your specific successes and particular failures and look at the week as a whole.  What do you think?  So often we move from one activity to another without assessing or reassessing how it all fits together.  Sabbath restores focus by providing the opportunity to reassess every week.   Shabbat Shalom.  Set aside the Sabbath for reassessment.

Set aside the Sabbath for rest.

Genesis 2:2 has a curious phrase that we all know, “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.”  Literally translated, it reads, “God stopped working”.  In fact, to cease, to stop, is the Hebrew word, Shabbat.  God stopped working, God rested not because of exhaustion, but because of enjoyment.  God wanted to enjoy God's creation.  God wanted to rest in the light of newly created dawn.  It's a bit ironic, I think, that a God, who by definition could never be exhausted, chose to rest; while we humans, who by definition do get exhausted, often choose not to rest. 
          Zac and I have been test-driving a lot of cars lately and I always check how much gas is in the tank of the cars.  I call to mind an old Seinfeld episode where Kramer, Seinfeld's bizarre neighbor, was test-driving a car.  The car had little gas in it so as to limit the test drive.  Instead of turning off the highway and returning to the lot, Kramer convinces the salesman so see just how far they can drive on an empty tank.  The needle gets right on the ‘E’ then dips below it, then rests on the left hand stop.  By the end of the episode, sure enough, they're out of gas in the middle of nowhere.  It was kind of a silly show, unless it's your life.
          This week I read that 51% of Americans lose sleep because of stress.  These are people who run so hard, for so long, that they can’t turn it off when it is time to go to sleep.  By the way, that same study revealed that 45% of Americans say they lose sleep because of their spouse’s sleeplessness over stress.  That leaves only about 4% of you married folks who are getting a good night’s sleep.  This is not God’s plan, but it is too often our human condition.
          You see, I've gone a week without a day off.  I'll bet you have too.  I've gone from before dawn to after midnight more than once.  I'll bet you have too.  I've driven long after I'm sure the needle of my energy is on empty.  I'll bet you have too.  There are times when we need to stop, times when we need to rest and those times are NOT when we're completely spent.  Those times are once a week.  Shabbat Shalom.  Stop.  Peace.  Set aside the Sabbath for rest, for reassessment.

Set aside the Sabbath for reflection.

Exodus 20:11 (a scripture we will examine in detail next week) declares, “in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.” The whole universe in six days, not a bad week's work.  It's important to note that the 7^th day is not an addendum to creation, it is an integral part of the whole picture.  This is the only day blessed by God.  It is set aside, sanctified, consecrated, as holy.  It is not a luxury.  It is essential.  God took the Sabbath to reflect on what God had created - The whole universe.
          More and more of my friends have a variety of versions of the Palm Pilots, or Blackberry, or whatever they are called today.  They tell me these things can change their lives, increase productivity and make them more organized.  I like to kid them with the Palm Pilot I've used for years.  It's right here.  I have important phone numbers here and appointments here.  However, this one has no solitaire, bells or whistles, and I can’t make phone calls from it.  Whether you use an electronic Palm Pilot or paper palm pilot, you should be able to reflect on your week.  Every now and then I am asked what I do between Sundays.  Well, this past week, I've celebrated the resurrection of our Lord in a moving Easter Sunday, had lunch with friends from Findlay, Ohio, visited with a friend who recently lost a loved one through death, beat my son at a basketball game, marched and sang with pre-school children in the hallways, comforted my daughter who had missed her plane in Spain and then lost her cell phone in a Spanish Taxi, visited with several visitors about the mission of this great church, lost to my son in basketball, provided pastoral care for my dearest parishioner (my wife) whose ankle surgery caused more pain than one could imagine, visited with others in the hospital who are tired of being cooped up and just need to talk about it every now and then, mentored candidates for ministry, I’ve eaten meals prepared by church members for Tammy’s family during her recovery.  As I reflect on the week, I'm glad that I lived it.  I hope that I have touched others as deeply as they have touched me.  It's good to stop, reassess, rest and reflect on the past six days.  Shabbat Shalom.  Stop.  Peace.  Set aside the Sabbath.  You need it and God expects it.

The 19th century poet, John G. Whittier, wrote

Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways; 

Reclothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find, 

In deeper reverence, praise.

O sabbath rest by Galilee, O calm of hills above, 

Where Jesus knelt to share with thee the silence of eternity, 

Interpreted by love! 

Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; 

Take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess 

The beauty of thy peace. 

What is the gospel for us today?  It is Sabbath.  Set it aside once a week, every week for the next seven weeks.  Who knows, maybe you will start a life changing habit.  Reassess your life's work, rest and enjoy what you have, and reflect on that which has filled your life.  Perhaps you too will be able to sigh, “It is very beautiful”.  Shabbat Shalom. Amen.