Church Redefined - Mark 1:21-22

Central Family,

“And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” Mark 1:21-22

I love the way Mark tells us the story of what Jesus did in Capernaum.  IMMEDIATLEY speaks of urgency, right now, drop everything – BUT the SABBATH speaks of waiting, being silent and still,  resting and knowing the non-urgency of our human circumstances. Two weeks ago the staff spent a couple hours considering what it means to rest and practice a ‘Sabbath’ life.  I suspect for most of us the Sabbath is virtually meaningless. But during Lent we are invited to return to the ways of the Lord.

God’s idea from Genesis 1 onwards is that there should be a day of rest, a holy day reserved for God.  We work all the time, or when we don’t we play hard, catch up on all our chores, we rarely sit, we are always reachable on our smart phones – and the idea of a whole day for God seems somewhat remote and idealistic.  But if God – the author of everything as we know it – felt it was necessary to rest from six seasons of work – what does it say about me when I feel that I am so important that I don’t need to rest.

For Jesus, there was an immediacy to the Sabbath. It was urgent for him, and it is urgent for us, to get reconnected to the Author of our life, to be remembered by the Lord of Lords – and that is what the idea of taking one day out of seven for rest is all about.  “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10), and “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:5) aren’t suggestions that we might consider some day when it is more convenient. Jesus wants his disciples to be Sabbath People now, immediately.

In the stillness of worship on the Sabbath, Jesus taught – “and they were astonished, for he taught them as one who had authority.”  So on the Sabbath we are listeners!  We die to the world of being the boss.  We give up the idea that “I’m the arbiter of truth, I decide for myself, right and wrong is in me, the way I think is my private right.”  NO! Jesus is the truth! Jesus is our authority! Jesus is  our Lord!  So I hope you will join me in being part of a family that understands itself as Sabbath People.  To hear Jesus, to listen to Jesus we have to be still, to be Sabbath people – not when it fits into our schedule – but NOW!  Or like Jesus – immediately on the Sabbath!

Paul

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