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Society for Biblical Literature meeting – day 3

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

From hotel toward river in New Orleans

Been strange but good this year. Enjoyed the time with my friend Chris Brady and chance to meet some of his friends and colleagues and fellow bibliobloggers. Lunch at Bacco’s was excellent and only $15. Dinner at Ralph and Kacoo’s pricey and not so good and service was weak. Had to drive back to Baton Rouge on Sunday morning for Sunday morning Bible study and worship. Dinner by myself in hotel restaurant was my first Kobe beef hamburger very good and cooked perfectly. Had to drive back to Baton Rouge again today for memorial service for Lois Draayer. Lunch at Middle East restaurant in French Quarter was decent. Right now waiting to meet Eric Mason for dinner.

I have not been to many sessions and papers largely because of the back-and-forth and how tired this has left me. Been focusing on sessions on Psalms – did not have enough energy for session on Sabbath this evening. Creation imagery and theology in the Psalms. And more insight into the formation of the Psalter. Caught end of a talk last evening by Shalom Paul on Late Biblical Hebrew in Isaiah 40-66 – was disappointed he made no reference at all to my work which does briefly touch on the issue and points toward a future article.

I have noticed that some biblical scholars use cliches and buzz phrases without(?) quite realizing what they are saying. In the Psalms sessions several references to “global warming” – I care very much about the environment but believe there is legitimate cause for questioning Anthropogenic Global Warming dogma. Many references to how Katrina “exposed injustice and inequalities in our community” along with some gratuitous and ill-informed Bush-bashing – but do people who throw that around really know what they are talking about? Plenty of middle and upper class New Orleans residents suffered and lost everything. It was in the recovery process that one sees more of the disparity. And although the Federal government responded poorly one should not overlook the colossal ineptitude of Louisiana authorities.

If some scholars engage in casual Bush-bashing and Global Warming kvetching during their talks – why do other scholars not engage in casual Obama-bashing and in digs against Anthropogenic Global Warming?

For years we have noted the abundance of facial hair. And how much biblical scholars dress in black. Biblical scholars male and female are a surprisingly good looking bunch.

Appreciate Andrew Das saying hi when I was waiting for valet to bring down my car.

I do feel a little out of place largely because I have fallen behind and not been involved much in my field. Wonder what it would take for me to get “back in academic shape” so as to produce new research and writing that would stand up and receive respect at this gathering. But I can no longer beat myself up so harshly for not ever having secured a position at a college or seminary. The competition in biblical studies is astonishing. About ten (10) open positions this year. For just one position at Judson College (my friend Eric is in charge of the search) they have sixty (60) people who are interested.

In other words you can be smart and good – and never get a teaching position.

The exhibitors’ hall is overwhelming. Booth after booth full of books and publications – which are worth buying? which are worth reading? And I wonder if all of them are necessary. To what extent do people write books because they need to in order to get a position or get tenure? That is a risky thing to say and perhaps I do not understand. Often congregants comment that my Bible studies are very “academic” rather than “practical” – to which I try to explain that good application will grow out of good academic(?) analysis. How many people thought Einstein’s theories were too academic? And yet they yield results that are deadly practical.

I do wonder sometimes why I spent so many dang years working on that PhD and that dissertation given what I do now. But I trust that God led me in that direction for a reason. That is what I have been struggling with. Given my gifts and education – what exactly am I supposed to be doing right now?

(On my wish list - recommended by Michael Legaspi)

Update (11/24/09): Had excellent time with Eric Mason last evening. We hiked over to the Gumbo Shop and each of us got the 4-course “Creole dinner” special. Best meal I have had here so far. Main entree was Chicken St Peters which was outstanding. I have always liked Eric but was especially impressed to realize just how strong and productive he is in his field – focusing particularly on Hebrews and 2nd temple/Qumran. He is well involved in scholarly circles and produces an amazing number of articles papers and books each year. Toward the end of dinner a few large groups started to come in and Ralph Klein of Lutheran Theological Seminary in Chicago famous for his work on Chronicles (and Ezra-Nehemiah) came over to say hi. (Wonder if I should try to snag some Hermeneia volumes before leaving.) Grateful to God that I know Eric – he demonstrates you can be an excellent scholar and a great guy at the same time.

Posted in Bible, Fun and Geek Stuff, Personal, Sabbath, Travel | No Comments »

"Being Theologically Conservative"

Monday, April 13th, 2009

My friend Joshua (whom I get to visit when in Atlanta for Catalyst Conference) is a self-described “Socially Liberal, Theologically Conservative, Protestant” whose political views are “Very Liberal”. My intent here is not to debate or quibble with the “socially/politically liberal” part but rather to celebrate one of the most brilliant and concise descriptions of “theologically conservative” Christian faith.

He is also a great guy with an excellent family (he is a better parent than I by far) and his collection of science-fiction and fantasy books will make you cry.

(And yes he gave me permission to quote him.)

A key paragraph might be:

Also, the value of history becomes clear. “Christian” isn’t just defined by Scripture. It is defined by the people who died for the gospel in the first few centuries of the Church’s development. It is defined by the people who, 350 years after the time of Christ, selected, compiled, and edited the Scriptures that would become the Bible. It is defined, in short, by the historical identity of the Church.

Other might use the term “tradition” (or more precisely Tradition) in place of “historical identity”.

“Being Theologically Conservative” by Joshua Villines

The first point that I should probably clear up is that being theologically conservative is not the same thing as being socially conservative. Despite what Focus on the Family and other fringe groups on the axis of intolerance want you to think, Christian views on social issues have changed from generation to generation – and they’ve changed dramatically from era to era. If Christianity is defined by a particular social agenda, then there have been almost no Christians since the third century.Likewise, trying to use some form of convoluted logic to make the words of the Christian scriptures “inerrant” is not being a theological conservative. Clearly the people who wrote, compiled, and edited the Jewish and Christian scriptures didn’t think they were creating an inerrant collection of documents. They would have made them more homogeneous if they had. People who talk about biblical “inerrancy” are really just using a code word for their desire to subordinate Scripture to their social agenda; and they typically do so with people who don’t have the scholarly background to appreciate how ludicrous their claims really are (or to realize that the “inerrantists” aren’t conserving anything, they’re creating a new doctrine).

The reason that I began with the negatives, defining what “theologically conservative” is not, is that – for me – paring Christian identity down to the essentials was part of the process of defining my own role as a pastor. Through ordination, the Church entrusts to its clergy the custodianship of the Chruch’s identity; and so understanding what is “Christian” and what is not is part of a pastor’s role. Consequently, when I was ordained I realized it was important to try have a working definition of the word “Christian” if I was going to be able to do my job well.
If one takes this exercise seriously, it’s harder than it seems. On one side, there are the shrill voices of the fundamentalists. In order to place their counter-cultural assertions beyond critique, fundamentalists insist that even the most minute component of their doctrine, no matter how scant the biblical or historical support for it might be, is an essential part of being “Christian.”

On the other side are the real liberals. They claim the label Christian, while ignoring, denying, or contradicting nearly everything that Christians have historically believed – be it the deity of Christ or even the authority of God.Both extremes have kept the label “Christian” because they have positive associations with it or because it gives greater credibility to their belief systems; but in neither case is the label helpful. “Being a ‘Christian’ means understanding the world exactly the way I do, even if I don’t realize that the way I understand the world is very different from how Christians have historically understood it!” is not a useful definition. Nor is, “Being a ‘Christian’ can really mean anything as long as you include the word ‘Jesus’ in there somewhere.”

But with so many groups offering so many different, and contradictory, understandings of what it means to be a Christian, where can one turn? For me, the logical answer was (and is): Scripture and History.

(more…)

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Holy Conservation (or) Sabbath, part XXVI

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Holy Conservation (or) Sabbath, part XXVI
Richard M. Wright

The carbon footprint of the Baton Rouge metropolitan area grew at almost three times the per capita rate of the footprint of the average U.S. metropolitan area between 2000 and 2005, a national survey released Wednesday says. – Baton Rouge Advocate (May 29, 2008: 1)

The soaring price of gasoline (a product of the soaring price of petroleum) has forced Americans to examine more how they consume resources and/or conserve energy. Recent news reports about how people are moving to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Or choosing not to travel as much or as far.

A few weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with my excellent colleague Mikel Dasch who was talking about the problem of busyness. And how practicing Sabbath can mean avoiding busyness in ways that (among other things) conserve energy.

Instead of driving all over town unnecessarily or sitting at home watching (and using) every electronic device in the house we go out and play (for example) Frisbee golf. Setting the thermostat a couple degrees higher during the summer so the air conditioning does not need to run as much. Turning off lights that we are not using.

For a few months I have been not only turning off the family computer before bed – I shut off the power strip. (Because many electronics still draw power even when “off”. Plus the wireless/networking equipment runs off the power strip.) Even my computer equipment gets a little Sabbath.
The list of ways to use less energy is almost endless.

In her book Mudhouse Sabbath Lauren Winner also mentions eating food in season as well as food grown locally. Consider – how much energy does it take to transport food from there (where it grows, or where it grows at this time of year) to here? Stanley Hopp writes that “if every American would eat just one locally and organically produced meal per week, it would reduce our oil consumption by 1.1 billion barrels per week” (Creation Care: A Christian Environmental Quarterly, Spring 2008: 41). (That sounds rather high to me… but accurate or not surely more local food in season would use less energy/resources.) I confess that my own family still pretty much buys what we want from wherever.

My Jewish friends at Young Israel House at Cornell during the Sabbath did not turn on anything that used electricity. (Although they did not turn anything off either.) Orthodox Jewish people do not drive during Sabbath either. And how much energy would not be used if businesses voluntarily closed – dare we say Sabbathed – one day per week?

Practicing Sabbath becomes even more relevant as industrialized nations become increasingly concerned with the rising cost of energy and the need to lower our “carbon footprint”.

Posted in Bible, Christian Practice, Environment, Hebrew Bible, Sabbath, Science | No Comments »

Holy Restraint (or) Sabbath, part XXV

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

Holy Restraint (or) Sabbath, part XXV
Richard M. Wright

Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the LORD. – Leviticus 25:3-4

When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day. – Numbers 15:32

Most unusually NBC Nightly News led with the price of gasoline as their top story last night (May 05). This week on NPR radio I heard a report how the price of gasoline in less than one year has moved from one of the least to one of if not the most important issue for voters in deciding which candidate they will vote for in this year’s presidential election. If nothing else Americans have been forced to examine and reconsider how they consume natural resources. A recent editorial noted:

Yes, higher gas prices are tough on our personal and collective budgets. Then again, higher gas prices strengthen motivation for fuel conservation, alternative-energy development and mass transit (“Gas Tax ‘Holiday’ From Reality”, Charleston Post and Courier; May 04, 2008)

What does this have to do with Sabbath keeping?

Part of Sabbath keeping is the idea of rest even for the land. On the Sabbath do not gather natural resources to burn as fuel. For one year in seven do not work the land to produce crops. Do not gather more than you need. Give creation a break – even a Sabbath.

Tilden Edwards in Sabbath Time writes on the social (I would add environmental) implications of Sabbath:

As we taste the fruits of authentic Sabbath rest, perhaps we can appreciate the value of rest for others as well as for ourselves, and for the earth, and even for machines. We can allow the world to happen a little bit more easily, and loosen our grip on trying to force it to produce life artificially for us. (101)

I would add “force it to produce fuel for us”.

Granted biblical teaching on Sabbath keeping focuses on gathering rather than consuming. But surely if we consume less… we would need to gather less.

Next week I will discuss more fully the relationship between conservation and Sabbath keeping.

Posted in Art, Bible, Christian Practice, Hebrew Bible, Sabbath, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Sabbath (or) Holy Gloaming, part XXIV

Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

Sabbath (or) Holy Gloaming, part XXIV

Richard M. Wright

barukh attah adonay eloheynu melekh ha`olam asher qiddshanu bmitzvotav vtzivvanu ner shel Shabbat
Blessed are you O Lord our God king of the universe who makes us holy by his commandments and commands us to kindle the Sabbath lights (my translation)
- Sha`arei Tephillah. Gates of Prayer: The New Union Prayerbook (Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1975: 117)

There is something about candles – or more precisely candlelight.

The last Saturday before Christmas I was finally able to visit St Matthew the Apostle Orthodox Church here in Baton Rouge for Saturday Vespers. (I like to visit and worship/pray with other faith communities when I can. I have exchanged a few emails with the lay pastor and was looking forward to meeting him.) It is a storefront church – they rent space in a small building along with a few businesses and stores. How does one turn rented office space into holy space? Icons – lots of them – adorned the walls. Beautiful rugs on the otherwise tile floor. Chairs – somewhat surprising in an Orthodox Christian place of worship. And candles. Not one electric light was on.

I wonder if that alone or simply most of all helped to create an atmosphere of serene peacefulness. One could hardly imagine shouting or arguing or fussing or gossiping or even speaking loudly. One could only engage in warm and quiet conversation with the person behind me. Or sit and pray in silence. Or listen to the story of salvation sung by the pastor and his wife. And one could only – even at the conclusion of the prayer service – drive away still effused with the gloaming light of Sabbath peace.

There is something about candles.

I remember with my new wife visiting my major professor and his family down in Binghamton for Shabbat dinner. The table well set. Everyone dressed in nice clothes. And the mother of the home lighting the Sabbath candles. Quietly saying the prayer. And gesturing over the flames to signify the holy light of God coming closer. Barukh attah adonay eloheynu… asher tzivvanu ner shel Shabbat.

And as an undergraduate visiting my good friend Leah at Young Israel House where Orthodox Jewish students observed strictly the rule of not turning on or off any electric device. In many rooms only candlelight. For prayer. For conversation. For resting.

What would happen if – say Saturday night – we light candles to welcome Sabbath? (Tilden Edwards in Sabbath Time suggests using three to represent the Trinity.) Perhaps use nothing but candlelight until we went to bed? Our family experienced a weak form of this when – for reasons I will not explain – after Christmas we went for a week with almost no television, computer, or electronics. It was strangely refreshing. Although I understand that one would need to find room for candles in the weekly household budget – shall we try it?

One of my favorite prayers from Christian history is the Phos Hilaron.

O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Give of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

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Sabbath (or) Holy Unplugging, part XXIII

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

Sabbath (or) Holy Unplugging, part XXIII
Richard M. Wright

I really like it. But it means I can never completely get away from work.

What one member of University Baptist Church said when I asked him about his Blackberry.

I don’t know about you but I am beginning to lose patience with electronic devices. Said the man who cannot stand to go anywhere without his trusty laptop.

In my last article on Sabbath keeping I wrote, “I will argue in a future article that an important part of practicing Sabbath is unplugging for one day. Television off. Ignore your Blackberry. Stay off the Internet” (“Sabbath [or] Holy Questions, part XXII”, The Window, October 23, 2007). For several months I have been haunted by that passing remark about the blessings and the curse of having a Blackberry. I also heard about a family in this congregation where the husband was asked to put in some extra time at work. No – they were about to go on vacation. The response was, “That’s okay. Go ahead and take your vacation. But bring your laptop with you.” Sheesh – not much of a vacation then is it? My experience is that if you do anything work-related during a vacation – no matter how small – then that time is no longer truly a vacation.

Brothers and sisters – we need to unplug.

If one of the first tasks of faithful Sabbath keeping is do no work then one of the first things we must do is turn off (or at least ignore) those devices that connect us to our work. Would you believe that at Young Israel House at Cornell University they actually put a chain and lock on the phone during Sabbath? (Yeah yeah I know. What would they do during an emergency? One can set aside Sabbath rules in order to save life – the rabbis are very clear on that.) That is how seriously they took the call to create a “palace in time” (Abraham Heschel) in which we are free from the demands and expectations of the world.

I understand that some of us must always be available in case of emergency – including ministers. But how much do we protect Sabbath from the intrusions of what is not a matter of life/death/health? My major professor in graduate school would not answer the phone during dinner so that the family could have at least that time uninterrupted. Let the answering machine take it. One can always (a) call back if not urgent or (b) take the call if it is a true emergency.

I do believe we need to consider seriously getting away from computers and television during Sabbath. (Again – I am the worst of hypocrites here. Joining my friends online is one of my favorite Saturday evening diversions. But it means I am not hanging with my family. Or with friends and neighbors who are physically rather than virtually present.)

Heschel writes,

Technical civilization is the product of labor, of man’s exertion of power for the sake of gain, for the sake of producing goods…. To set apart one day a week for freedom, a day for being with ourselves, a day of detachment from the vulgar, a day on which we stop worshipping the idols of technical civilization… The solution of mankind’s most vexing problem will not be found in renouncing technical civilization, but in attaining some degree of independence from it.” (The Sabbath, 27-28; emphasis added)

The point is not that Blackberries or the Internet or television are evil. They are not (necessarily). But rather we unplug in order to say, “You do not control me. I can turn you off – in order to pray and play with the people I can see and touch here and now. Because I am more than what I buy or do or make.”

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Sabbath (or) Holy Questions, part XXII

Thursday, November 1st, 2007

Sabbath (or) Holy Questions, part XXII

Richard M. Wright

The School of Shammai say, They may not sell to a non-Jew, or help him to load up or assist to load him unless there be time for him to reach a place near by; but the School of Hillel permit it (emphasis added). – Mishnah Shabbat 1:7

A well asked question (almost?) answers itself. – Wright’s Second Principle of Epistemology

Part of the genius of Jewish rabbinic tradition is that “tradition” – properly understood – is not (so much) content as it is process. The process by which the Jewish teachers figure out how to apply Torah on different matters in different situations. Last Sunday during Evensong I shared the Eastern Orthodox idea that tradition – properly understood – is not the content of revelation so much as the light by which truth is revealed (citing the famous American theologian George Florovsky). (Orthodox teaching is that the primary mover in this process is the Holy Spirit working in the worshiping community.) The result is what can be called content – specific ideas about what the Christian church believes and does. But that content has a certain fluid character. Truth is always the same – but how we understand and express truth may change from generation to generation. Beautiful. But also scary.

So as the Christian movement (re)discovers a theopraxis* of Sabbath the (re)new(ed) tradition will also have a certain fluid character. Hence holy questions.

Let me share several questions that have arisen within my family and with friends and colleagues concerning the what and how of Sabbath keeping.

One important principle – in my opinion and I rather like my opinion – of Sabbath keeping is spending time with family and friends. That being the case…

Can/should we then go eat at a restaurant together? Go to the movies together? Because another important principle is to avoid commercial activity – especially when that activity depends upon other people who are having to work during Sabbath (such as at the restaurant or at the theater).

Similarly it is appropriate to rent a video and watch it with friends or family? Not only does this potentially involve commercial activity (what if you rent before Sabbath or use something like Netflix) but you also get into the problem area of watching that big stupid screen.

Take that a step further. Should one play video or computer games on Sabbath? I will argue in a future article that an important part of practicing Sabbath is unplugging for one day. Television off. Ignore your Blackberry. Stay off the Internet. For many playing video/computer games is play – but it also kills interaction with family. (I am a chief offender and hypocrite. There are three people who live with me that will attest to this.) And does that mean Wii is Sabbath friendly?

Is it appropriate to play sports on Sabbath? I suspect that for many parents taking your child to a Sunday afternoon game can feel sometimes like work rather than fun. And yet for some people playing sports is very much how they have fun, relax, and play – also important principles for practicing Sabbath.

What about gardening? yard work? cooking? knitting? Again – avoiding work (which can be defined more fully) is probably the first and most important principle of Sabbath. (See Mishnah Sabbath 7:2 – “The main labors prohibited on the Sabbath are forty less one.” And gardening, cooking, sewing are specifically mentioned here and throughout the tractate.) But for some people such activities are a joy – not work. I love taking care of my plants. And sometimes I enjoy cooking. I was quite the international chef in graduate school. Polynesian chicken anyone?

This is just a sampling. Brothers and sisters – let us begin this process together. Why should the rabbis have all the fun?

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Sabbath (or) Holy(?) Questions, part XXI

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007

Sabbath (or) Holy(?) Questions, part XXI

Richard M. Wright

Whatever happened to Sunday as a day of rest?”

Which someone said in my presence last Sunday afternoon. Someone who is one of the most faithful, committed, involved, active-in-half-a-dozen-ministries persons I know in this congregation. Not the only person I have heard voice out loud a question along those lines.

Here is a dangerous question. To what extent does the church hinder or help Sabbath keeping? (By “church” I mean either the “church” in general – however one defines that – or this local church/congregation known as University Baptist Church.)

Get here around nine o’clock in the morning. Get a few things ready for morning worship. Drive the church bus. Teach a Bible study. Preach and lead worship. Drive the church bus. An hour at home. An area leadership meeting. Get a few things ready for Evensong. Drive the church van. Help lead Evensong. Drive the church van. Home at seven thirty in the evening.

To put it in very crass terms, “At least [I] get paid for it”. There are plenty of people in University Baptist Church whose Sundays look like this – or more – and it is all volunteer. They (almost) never complain. But occasionally I (over)hear comments along the lines of, “I don’t want (my kids) to spend all day at church” or “It was nice to have Sunday night off”.

Do not misunderstand me. It is not my place to criticize the typical Sunday schedule at this or any other Christian community. But we must – how can I put this? – wrestle with the question. Does this (local) church make it easier or harder for individuals and families to keep Sabbath? To what extent do we turn Sunday (not to get into Sabbath/Sunday? and so on) into a day of work and exhaustion – rather than a day of play and rest as well as a day of prayer and worship? If – for the sake of argument – Sunday is our primary day for practicing Sabbath, how much does this church empower and encourage people to play and rest? hang out as a family? practice hospitality? spend a quiet hour praying and eating (sic!) the Bible?

Often I observe how good (Baptist) Christians implicitly or explicitly assume that being busy at church all day is precisely how one shows “commitment” and “faithfulness”. Too often such assumptions seem more rooted in nostalgia, tradition, or culture than in sound theology or exegesis. Would Jesus say to us, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down” (Mark 7:9, 13)?

I don’t have any easy answers in mind. Sunday is a logical? convenient? day for much of what we do. And Isaiah 58 seems to argue that Sabbath/Sunday is the perfect day for some kinds of ministry that otherwise might be considered work (“Sabbath (or) Holy Justice, part XX”, The Window, October 19, 2007). But does some of our Sunday busy-ness set aside what happens to be the longest commandment? that holds in balance our relationship to God and to neighbor?

Posted in Christian Practice, Ecclesiology, Sabbath | No Comments »

Holy Justice (or) Sabbath, part XIX

Tuesday, October 9th, 2007

Holy Justice (or) Sabbath, part XIX

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” – Isaiah 58:13-14

And we’re baaaaack!

Isaiah 58 is a remarkable passage of Scripture – if you read carefully its different parts together. Yahweh speaks through the prophet to the people of God during the Babylonian Exile. (Every student of the Bible should know basically the what, when, where, and why of the Babylonian Exile.) The message is one(?) of encouragement and hope. “This will not last forever. Exile will end. You will go home. You have a good future. But this is what you need to do on your end.”

The chapter reads like a series of short oracles (messages). And probably they are. But they have been placed together in one section so that we can hear them resonate with each other. First God challenges them to a different kind of fast: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter– when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (verses 6-7). And a few verses later: “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (verses 9-10). And shortly thereafter the verses above concerning Sabbath.

One of the most powerful talks I heard at the Catalyst Conference last week outside Atlanta was Rick Warren who just blew us away. He said, “We need to stop asking God to ‘bless us/me’. Instead we should pray, ‘Let me do what you are blessing (which is the Kingdom of God)’” (paraphrase). And what is the blessing God offers in Isaiah 58?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. … Then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

(Does that remind you of a certain city in Louisiana?) Oh – and “joy… ride… feast”.

Isaiah 58 challenges us to see Sabbath keeping as part of a larger whole that includes and is not divorced from justice and liberation and feeding and clothing and providing and speaking kindly to and about each other. In my next article I will try to be more specific in terms of practice.

Not just that Sabbath is part of… but could Sabbath keeping include these other things?

Posted in Christian Practice, Missiology, Sabbath | 1 Comment »

Sabbath (or) Holy Non-profitability, part XVIII

Sunday, September 16th, 2007

Sabbath (or) Holy Non-profitability, part XVIII

Richard M. Wright

Are you “profitable for the kingdom of God”? Are we even supposed to ask such a question?

Last weekend [RW - back in March 2007] we enjoyed the gift of Donald Miller coming to speak twice on Saturday, once on Sunday morning. During his first talk (Saturday afternoon) he outlined key shifts in the relationship between the church and the (dominant surrounding) culture. One of which was the Industrial Revolution. The rise of the “corporation”. The church begins to think about the kingdom of God in terms of productivity. Churches begin to look like conference centers. Preaching and teaching often addresses how we can be “profitable for the kingdom of God”. As if the good news of Jesus Christ is a product that we sell for the Corporation (rather than the kingdom) of God.

And after the Industrial Revolution came the Entertainment Revolution. Three thousand commercial messages per day that proclaim (1) we are not happy, and (2) we will become happy if only we buy this product. Better get busy buying and using!

Sitting in the balcony I immediately thought of the relevance of Sabbath. When we enter Sabbath we enter a realm in which for a time(?) we are free from the Corporation and Commercialism. For this one day out of seven it does not matter what we produce or if we are “profitable”. It does not matter what we buy or use – in fact it is a time in which we can without guilt choose not to buy or use anything.

In her book Keeping the Sabbath Wholly Marva Dawn writes,

One of the ugliest things about our culture is that we usually assess a person’s worth on the basis of his or her productivity and accomplishments… Most of our inferiority complexes derive from the fact that we haven’t done everything we wish to do or that we haven’t been as productive as someone else. (17)

(Does that remind you of what Donald Miller offered during his second talk? About Genesis 3 and the significance of being “naked”? About our need for a constant outpouring of affirmation and love from someone outside of ourselves – most of all from God?)

Sabbath is that “palace in time” in which we can most open ourselves (and our families) to the unconditional love of God who says “you are valuable just because of who you are, because I delight in you, not because of what you do, produce, buy, or use”. Marva Dawn adds,

If we can give up our need to produce and to judge others [RW – and ourselves?] similarly by their accomplishments, we can be freed to value those particular gifts that others bring into our world. Thus, our Sabbath ceasing from productivity [RW – and commercialism] can bring great healing into our own lives as well as into the lives of those around us. (21)

Perhaps we need to ask “how can we be non-profitable for the kingdom of God?”

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