A case against doing sabbath

Sabbath may be the spiritual discipline that is all the rage these days. There are a great number of books out there that deal with Sabbath and  how many books talk about fasting ? 

Maybe this draw to Sabbath is more of a backlash to the breakneck speed of our culture. We are on "work" mode seemingly all the time. We have an new "productivity" app coming out every day and there are more organizers than you can dream of. We are all busy and we all have stress for working too much or too hard.

So yes, I can see where the interest in Sabbath comes from. We need a break and we need rest! 

So why would I submit that we should not do Sabbath? Because doing Sabbath is just another thing to do! When we approach Sabbath as something that we do then are we are already missing the point?

Rather than "doing" Sabbath might I suggest that we observe Sabbath. Observe not in the "hey look at this isn't this neat!" nor in the "I see that today is Sabbath." But observe the counter-intuitive nature of Sabbath.

Most of the time when I hear people talk about taking Sabbath, it generally is rooted in a conversation of how can we be more productive with our time so that we will have enough time to get everything done so that we will "have time" to take Sabbath. This approach actually misses the heart of the matter. For you see Sabbath is that which asks us, what do we need to let go of rather than demanding that we be more efficient with time. 

Instead of asking, "how do you make time for Sabbath" we might be better off asking, "How can I learn to let go of things in my life?" Or perhaps, "How can I let go of the anxiety I feel when I don't get it all done?"

When we let go of things, rather than just be more efficient, when we are less anxious about out lives and work, then (ironically) Sabbath happens.There is nothing more that you do or nothing that you must be better at in order to observe Sabbath. 

Sabbath is not something that one does, it is something that happens - we are called to observe.  Generally we are unable to observe it because we are too busy trying to do it.

Acting like Batman is why we need the Church

In his amazing book, Insurrection, Peter Rollins writes:

The problem, however, lies in the fact that Bruce Wayne is too invested in his crime-fighting antics. For he often seems to get his meaning from actually engaging in a direct way with crime, doing what he does not because he is interested in transforming Gotham City, but because he wants to feel the pleasure of taking revenge. If this is indeed the case, then Bruce Wayne needs the criminals in order to experience the cathartic release of directly attacking them. 

And so, Batman is accused of doing 'good' not for the betterment of the whole, but for primarily for personal need. 

We do a number of things in our lives that are framed as good for the whole but in fact are

primarily for fulfilling personal need. For instance: Giving a can good to the food bank or paying for the order behind you in the drive-thru.

These are not "bad" actions but they do not lead to the transformation of our Gotham Cities.

Which is why we need the institution of the Church. 

Yes, the Church is not perfect in her efforts (but neither are individuals) to transform the world. But it is the only way that I know of which a critical mass of people gather together and pray, act and give for reasons that are beyond personal need.

If I were to just give to that which I find to be 'worthy of my money and time' then am I not just acting like Batman who defeats criminals but never eradicates crime?

The United Methodist Church is set up in a way that when we give we do support a personal need, namely the upkeep of the building which is the 'home-base' for the relationships that I need. Additionally the offering also supports those things which I may not have ever given money to because it does not directly fulfill a personal need. 

I am just taking financial contributions as one example in which the Church moves us to consider the needs beyond the personal.And when we get beyond seeking personal needs then we will discover that we will no longer need Batman

Joke or Prophetic - you tell me

I have heard Peter Rollins share a joke in a couple of places the past month or so and thought that I would share it here. You let me know if this is a joke or a prophetic comment or both/neither.

A guy was in an accident that left him stranded on an island alone for 20 years. One day a plane flew overhead and saw the man, and so it landed to rescue him.

The man was grateful to be rescued but before they left the island to return home, there was great interest to see how this man lived for 20 years alone on an island. So the man gave a tour.

As they all came into a clearing there were three dwellings.

"What is this building?"

"Oh, this is where I live. I built it just after arrival here and have developed a system for running water and cooking."

"That is incredible. Can you tell us about this second building."

"That is my church. Every Sunday I attend worship to sing, pray and have communion with the saints. it is the place that has encouraged in my time here and I could not have made it without it."

"That is beautiful to hear. Can you tell us about this last building?"

"That building? I would rather not talk about it. It is too painful to talk about and is something that I would rather just forget about."

"Ah, come on. Tell us about that building."

"Well, you see, that is where I used to go to church."