Ripe for Rest

Mark 2:23-28 ~23 One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? 26 He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” 27 Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; 28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

Amos 8:1-6~

8 This is what the Lord God showed me—a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me,

“The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by. 3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” says the Lord God; “the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!”

4 Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, 5 saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, 6 buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.”

Let us pray. Lord open our eyes that we may hear you, open our ears that we may see you, open our souls that we may meet you and be changed. Reveal to us our deep-seated ways and lead us, guide us to rest in your truth. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen

Both of our scriptures this morning involve food, something that is necessary for our survival, revival, and, if we use it right, our thriving. The texts also reveal something else that is foundational to our survival, revival, and, if we use it right, our thriving.

Today is July 4th, our national holiday commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

· For decades, the 4th of July has also been a day of cookouts and special sales, fireworks, and other festivities.

· Given the limitations of 2020, this year people are traveling and gathering, on intentional quests to get back to doing whatever they want to do.

Today is also the Sabbath, for many. Perhaps God has provided an opportunity for us to see this day in a different way—independence day and the sabbath.

In the book of Amos, the LORD appears to Amos several times. God’s people are facing divine judgment because of the injustices that had become normative and their superficial religious practices. Amos had pleaded with the LORD to relent on the judgment God is formulating. But judgment is coming unless the people straighten up.

On this fourth occasion, Amos says: This is what the Lord showed me,

“A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me,

“The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by.

• Summer fruit was fully ripened at its peak with a short edible life.

• Amos makes a play on words. In Hebrew, the words for ripe fruit (qaytis) and ripe time (qates) (end time) sound very similar.

• In other words, for Israel the time was ripe for their dreadful harvest. There would be no more reprieve from the LORD.

God says, “Hear this” (listen up) and then targets those who live in the blind spot/tunnel vision of their own agenda; those who just want to get back to doing whatever they want to do.

The Lord said: 4 Hear this,

• All who trample the weak and exploit the poor (directly and indirectly),

• Those who can’t wait to get back to your plans, asking “When will the New Moon festival be over so we may sell grain; or

• When will the sabbath be over, so we can sell wheat?

• We will sell poor, processed product in small portions for big prices and rig the scales in our favor.

· God’s people were not sincerely participating in their religious festivals or sabbath. Their bodies were going through the motions; but their minds and hearts had other notions.

Illustration: Imagine with me... it’s summer and a young one wants to go swimming, to the park or playground but Mom and Dad have brought them to worship, to celebrate what God has done in their lives. But the young one is more interested in doing what they want to do next rather than resting and relishing in the time with God.

Or maybe it’s July 4th and thoughts of cooking out, fireworks or other festivities are on your mind or catching that sale at you’ve been waiting for.

Bodies are present but minds are wondering, “When will worship be over so we can have our choice of ale, get to that sale, or be on to the next thing we want to do.

There they were and here we are. God still desires something different for us.

In the last year, the world experienced layers of disorientation.

· Those layers of disorientation offered fresh lenses on our realities, slowed the blinding pace of life to bring the world to a different consciousness.

o Enabled us to see our exhaustive busyness.

o Heightened the significance of quality time with friends and family.

o Showed us how much ‘stuff’ we were buying or keeping that we didn’t need.

o Enabled us to differently see and value those deemed ‘essential’ workers.

o Revealed that minority groups and differently abled people face multiple barriers to access essential services.

· The disorientation brought wider consciousness to inequities across a spectrum from healthcare to technology with intersecting lines from ethnicity to income.

As parts of the world re-open, we have entered a season of reorientation…but to what?

· Are we seeking a reorientation back to the pre-pandemic world?

o Will we go back to frenzied schedules and sacrifice quality time?

o Will we dismiss the inequities revealed? the light and learnings?

Think about this. We have been granted a taste of a different way of being. God is drawing us forward for a greater taste.

Here’s the crucial insight: We are ripe for rest from the world we have known!

· We are ripe for rest from the rigors and rituals that the world imposes.

In our Gospel text, the Pharisees complained that Jesus’ disciples were plucking and eating the wheat in the fields on the sabbath. This harvesting was considered work and not allowed on the sabbath.

• But the disciples were walking with Christ (God incarnate) and resting in the provision of God while the Pharisees were wrestling with the letter of the Law and their own judgment rather than embracing the Spirit of the law.

· They were looking at sabbath from their own lens of control rather than God’s lens of compassion.

· The Pharisees like the people of Amos’ time observed the sabbath as a religious burden rather than as a righteous blessing from God.

Jesus straightens them out, “The sabbath was created for humankind, not humankind for the sabbath.”

• Sabbath was created for our survival, revival, and, if we will use it right, our thriving.

• Sabbath is given for our rest, not to forceour rest.

• Sabbath is a gift for reorientation, for rest and realignment with God. We must embrace the gift. Taking Sabbath distinguishes our lives from the world.

· Both the New Moon festival and the Sabbath in our scriptures call for rest. Both were meant to align the people with God; to remind the people of Israel they are dependent on God and not just their own work.

o These were not meaningless exercises in obedience.

o When you approach faith practices with total sincerity, they help renew your focus and refresh your mind, heart, body, and soul in the presence of God.

· Keeping sabbath is a declaration of independence from the rigors and rituals of the world and opens us to embrace our dependence on God.

· And we get to take sabbath every week.

· Rather than one Independence Day per year, we get to claim 52!

· We always get more with God. If you are not taking a weekly sabbath, you’re shortchanging yourself; you’re missing out.

God sent Amos and Jesus to speak truth and give people the opportunity to turn and realign with God. The prophets still speak to us today.

“What do you see?” says the Lord. A basket of summer fruit.

• We are ripe to be consumed by God’s judgment for our choices as we know not the day nor the hour. The time is ripe to make different and conscious choices, to seek a different orientation

It isthe 4th of July - Independence Day and the Sabbath.

Sabbath helps us give God our full attention for rest, revitalization, and realign with God. It is an active and intentional practice of faith. Will we always get it right? No.

· We are imperfect beings striving to become who God intended.

· But practice makes permanent, and we are accountable for our choices.

Declare your weekly independence day. Keep the sabbath. God gave it, blessed it, and said keep it holy. We are ripe for rest from the world, ripe for rest with God.

May you find rest and reorientation with the Lord. Amen