And so, when we do not trust this sabbath rest - where does that leave us. From "Mandate to Difference" by Walter Brueggemann.
When we do not trust in guaranteed abundance, we must supply the deficiencies out of our own limited resources. We scramble to move from our sense of scarcity to an abundance that we imagine that we ourselves can supply, all the while frantically anxious that we won't quite make it:
- Not enough to be loved
- Not enough to be well liked
- Not enough to advance
- Not enough to secure my family
- Not enough members
- Not enough dollars
- Not enough published articles
- Not enough new clothes, new cars, new houses
- Not enough bombs
- Not enough stocks and bonds
- Not enough freedom
- Not enough purity
- Not enough of our kind of people
It is necessary to erode the holy time of sabbath for the sake of productivity, given our sense of scarcity grounded in distrust.
I look at this picture and I know that I am not able to supply my deficiencies - and never will. Just the other day I thought about all the financial stuff that is happening around the world. Instability for most people is "real life." I wondered about what a real "crash" would do to someone like me - how would i deal with losing what has been a part of our plan to make ends meet in the future?! I was struck with how I thought about me and what I was able to do or not do. Even when we are told of a guaranteed abundance, it is not easy to send anxiety out of the room. Here and there, I know that God's breath of life does bring rest. And yet, when I am realistic, I know that I do not let myself go to that place of rest. The "not enough" - whatever that may be for me - is a voice that is working 24/7 to convince me to stay within the illusion that i can be in control. Sabbath is a part of the discipline to break that voice and allow God's word of abundance to settle in - at least some of the time!
Connection: Nothing will ever be enough. As Lutherans, we use a phase that is helpful here. It is simply "it is enough." The Word and that little piece of bread with wine - is enough to bring life and hopefulness and rest.
Come, Holy Spirit. Come and hold our hands and walk with us when we are frantically trying to win the day. Amen.
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