Sabbath Violations in...My Car?

Sabbath is the ancient practice of persons of faith of recognizing a day, or even longer, of rest for the purpose of celebrating God's provisions in our lives. It finds its origins in the very first words of the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis 1), and is then woven throughout the fabric of the story of God's people. Observing the Sabbath is given a place of prominence in the Decalogue, also simple the Ten Words and what we call the Ten Commandments.

Sabbath is one of the most underutilized gifts God has given. I will go further to say that it is being observed less and less to our great detriment. Modern women and men struggle more and more with embracing concepts of regular rest, as they submit to the increasing demands of work, the pursuit of success, and the difficult act of balancing these things with family and other demands.

But now I hear that it could be affecting my car? Stop the madness!

Toyota announced this past week that 2.3 millions cars were being recalled because the accelerator pedal was found to be potentially defective and in some cases would stick or be slow in returning. This has tragically resulted in more than 60 accidents and even four deaths on the day after Christmas. It seems that there is no easy answer to the solution, either. Some of you know I purchased a used Toyota in the Fall, and this news prompted me to investigate immediately. I was relieved to learn that while the recall involves a huge array of their models, it does not include mine. You can learn more from Toyota.

The lesson returns to our own need to know when to slow down and even stop. Things go very badly when we get stuck at one speed. We were not designed that way. We have been created to work, play and rest. All of these things bring Glory to the One who created us.

Sabbath Violations in the News

Early last year our congregation journeyed through the Ten Commandments, as we listened to the rich depth behind each of those rules for living. We heard how living faithfully in marriage reflects the nature of the unity of God, and how carrying the Holy Name of God well is about so much more than not swearing.

One of the most revolutionary teachings from that series was about taking Sabbath. It had a lot to do with the experiences of the Israelites under Egyptian oppression, who were seen as only cogs in a manufacturing system – they were valued only for their ability to work. This led them to grow accustomed to measuring themselves by production, which goes completely against the truths about our Creation from Genesis. We are not God. The world does not stop if we rest for a day. Sabbath is about the health of our souls.

All of this brings us to a story from this weekend’s news cycle. It comes out of Gainesville, Florida, where one of the great college football coaches of our time has been wrestling with some decisions about his health, his family, and his coaching career.

In December, Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators, revealed he had long battled heart trouble and made plans to retire for the sake of his family and his heath. He had been admitted to the hospital for a heart episode earlier that month and it was not his first. But, within a day of that first statement he had reduced it to taking maybe a year off after they finished playing in the bowl game that week.

Well over the weekend Urban Meyer made this statement,

“I keep hearing about this time off, and the people I'm closest to are going to demand I take some time off, but I tried that already,” Meyer said. “I tried a day and a half, and it didn't work.”

Were you able to read between the lines with me? His wife and kids are apparently grouped with players, assistant coaches, bosses, and maybe even prominent boosters, who all will demand for something but the best he can do is try it for 36 hours. Seriously? Meyer is smart, and a follower of Jesus, but does he think giving 36 hours to a lifestyle that is so totally foreign to our modern culture stands any chance? Has he lost touch so significantly with the few people in his life that knew him before he was a success on the sidelines to forget that their biggest concern has nothing to do with Wins and Losses?

My prayer is that he would revisit this decision. My prayer is that he would know again the truth that no amount of success, no internal drive, no deadlines, no media coverage is more important than living the life God designed for us. All of those things can come, but not at the expense of the health of your body and your soul.

30 Day Challenge Gets an Early Start!

I am genuinely excited about the reception our congregation has had to the start of our 30 Day Gospel Challenge. I am convinced that reading the Gospels is a critical start - or restart - for anyone in their growing relationship with Jesus.

We want to be the place where people are growing as followers of Jesus. Reading the stories told in the Gospels is a great place to start.

And what a start we've had already. The first day of the 30 days is still a few hours away, and already our two 'public leaders', Tammy and Chris, have posted about their experiences. Check them out using links here: www.waverlyhallumc.org/30day.

This is going to be good and is worth every minute of the time it calls for us to pursue it. May God's grace be with us all.

Earthquake in Haiti

On Tuesday night, the slightest movement of two plates about 6 miles beneath the earth's surface caused an earthquake that has devastated the island nation of Haiti. Massive loss of life, coupled with the destruction of buildings and infratructure that serve in delivering aid in an already poor country, will make this a disaster one that lingers for years.

Let us stop and pray for the people of Haiti and for the every person who has known loss or grieved in tragedy. May we also pray that we, the Church, would work to redeem this for God's desires. My friend, Teresa, offered the words of Psalm 46. Let's listen,

God is a safe place to hide,
ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God of angel armies protects us.
(The Message translation)

Questions abound in the wake of any loss or tragedy. In the midst of our questions, let us find comfort in knowing God is fighting for us. The world literally shakes us, and reality can come crashing down at any time. God's armies and God's strength is greater, though. God who made heaven and earth is larger than any earthquake.

Not Good Numbers - Hope in the Wrong Things

It's in the news this week that, "One in 50 Georgia households declared bankruptcy in 2009 between January and November, leaving the state with the third-highest personal bankruptcy rate in the nation." You can read the local coverage here.

Those are not good numbers. But that's not the whole story being told. The effects of the recession in our very global economy continue to be felt by many families. One bankruptcy lawyer said at first they were seeing people in the industries hardest hit coming in for their services, but now it is professionals of every field. He went on to say, "They (have) higher income and have a lot more assets, a lot more items like boats and motorcycles and four-wheelers."

My hope is that most of them could be able to point to bad decisions, sometimes bad timing, that put them into places that never intended to be found. While we can all learn from the past, and we should, my frustration with how the news is covering this, nor is it how many families are choosing to move forward. I actually heard one radio reporter say that families were counting on the upward bounce in the economy, markets continuing to improve, and possible new jobs in the works to help get them out of trouble. While any of these would be welcome, are those families waiting for other things to happen instead of working on what they can now?

I have to ask? Where is the evidence of learning in that kind of statement? Instead, it sounds like they continue to place their hopes that something 'out there' will make things right for them 'right here.' Since when are we supposed to rely on external circumstances out there to completely determine how our situation will look in here?

Maturity is learning from mistakes and being disciplined not to repeat them. I am concerned for anyone who is not learning from their past. I am especially concerned for those who place false hope in the lie that we can have any security in economics, good luck, perfect timing, or the myths being sold by this world.

May we be disciples of Jesus Christ who place our hope in Him, and strive for discipline in our lives that leads to good stewardship of all the gifts God has given us.

Where We've Seen God This Year

I came across this article on some 'Pop-Culture' website, and I must admit the title intrigued me. It sounded more like a sermon than something you'd find on the web.

Check it out - Where We've Seen God This Year - with this link to the sphere.com article.

Of course, those images are funny and a bit freaky, but do prove a point - we can find God anyway. But haven't we found God in more substantial ways that just in random food?

I have seen God in the changed lives of close friends I know - some of whom I did not know at all just one year ago. I have seen the traces of God in the writings of children who offered their favorite scripture verses to be used on walls in their newly renovated Ministry Area. I have felt God's presence as I stood close by some of my closest friends as they took vows that will change their lives forever. I continue to see the spark of God appear in the eyes of total strangers when they confront me, ask for help, or point me in the direction I'm supposed to be going.

Of course, I've also looked for God in some places and wished God's presence was a little more revealing. Cancer. Divorce. Meanness. Politics. Gossip. Poverty. Greed. Illness.

While these instances don't draw the attention of the celebrity-crazed web-surfing world, they are nonetheless worthy of mention here.