Nancy Beach

Thoughts on the Sabbath

     I have not written for quite awhile...consumed with research and preparation for a message I'm giving this weekend at Willow on the Sabbath.  This has been so very good for me.  I am one who has usually taken partial Sabbaths, but honestly not treasured the day the way it was intended.  Many writers say the 4th commandment is the only one people tend to brag about breaking.  We love everyone to know we are busy, busy, busy. But our God never intended for us to be "on" 24/7, and technology has completely blurred the lines between work and rest - or at least many of us have allowed those lines to be blurred.

     Last Sunday, I was tempted to do some writing on my Sabbath message - how sick is that!  Violating the Sabbath so I can prepare a message on the Sabbath.  I caught the irony and decided to trust God that He would enable me to finish the work on the other days.  So last Saturday I intentionally prepared to make the Sabbath possible - worked long on my talk, did all the grocery shopping, finished the laundry, and even made a meal ahead for the next day.  I attended our church service Saturday evening, which felt like ushering in the Sabbath with worship.  So when I awoke on Sunday morning, I had the gift of an entire day to be filled with delight, contemplation, rest, and play.  It was fantastic!  I walked into town for breakfast with my husband.  Then because the weather was crummy and I wanted a bit of nature, I saw the Disney movie "Oceans" which was 86 minutes of sheer delight in God's creation.  I journaled slowly after that, reflecting on the goodness of God and on my previous week.  In the afternoon, I allowed myself to nap and then read a book just for fun.  Our family dinner was relaxing because most all of it was prepared the night before.

     When I laid my head on the pillow after such a lovely day, I realized what I have been missing.  Jesus said the Sabbath was made for us, not the other way around.  I can't wait to share what I've learned in the message on Sunday about this invitation to delight.  But even more, I look forward to being far more intentional about setting apart one day in seven, just as God designed.  I would love to hear about any of your experiences with trying to sanctify a Sabbath.  What has worked for you?

 

Reflections on 3rd Day of Food/Water Challenge

     Our church is in the midst of our annual Celebration of Hope campaign when we focus on serving and identifying with the under-resourced. A central part of the experience includes a 5 day Food and Water Challenge - for 5 straight days we eat plain oatmeal for breakfast (no brown sugar and raisins!), rice and beans for the other two meals with a small amount of chicken and vegetables, and no beverages except tap water.  To be honest, the beverage part is harder for me than the food - I've had 3 straight days of headaches from having no caffeine!  It's my daily hot tea and Diet Coke I'm most longing for.

     The purpose behind this experience is for us to reflect, when we have those hunger pangs, about the daily experience of a couple billion people on this planet.  Here are just a few of my thoughts and some of the conversations I've had with fellow church members:

•  I feel lethargic.  This reminds me that the poor lack energy for learning and for work.  Our bodies require fuel to do their job.  How can children learn in school or people do manual labor when they are so very hungry and lack good nutrition?
• I feel bored by the same old foods.  Yet much of the world eats simple meals that look and taste the same every single day.  They can't choose from thousands of options in a grocery story or a 6-page menu in a restaurant.  It's just Same-O Same-O every day, if they get to eat at all.
• I can't imagine a mother dishing out the food to her family, deciding how much each person should get when there is so little to share.  Most moms probably give themselves less, I would imagine.  But what would you say to a child who remains hungry when the small dish is gone?
• I realize that eating and drinking are a big part not only of giving us fuel, but of giving us joy.  We celebrate around food.  We look forward to our food, to the variety of textures and tastes. I so often take that for granted.

To my fellow "Creekers" I can only say, we're more than halfway there!  This has been a sobering experience once again.  I'm trying not to be crabby and irritable, but I'll be very glad when Friday comes.

"Lost" and Art in the Church

     I've been watching the show Lost since it began, and find myself already sad that its run is coming to a close.  The show is extremely complicated, jumping around not only in terms of time, but even messing with the alternatives if certain trigger events happen or not, and how the outcomes would be different if characters make different choices.  More often than not, I'm lost just watching Lost!

     Many would argue that television series and other art forms that stretch the audience to such a degree are unwise.  They would doubt enough viewers are willing to be challenged intellectually, and even willing to be confused at times by the mystery of sophisticated writing that is hard to track.  Yet the ratings for this program and others like it suggest that actually we may be underestimating the desire of many viewers to engage on a deeper level.

     So what does this mean for art and teaching in the church?  How simple do we have to be?  To what degree will the congregation be willing to wrestle with theological frameworks that refuse to be summed up in a quick phrase or words that rhyme?  I'm just wondering if we need to give people more credit.  I can't speak for everyone, but when a piece of art or a message invites me to work harder with my brain, I feel ennobled and honored by the challenge.  I don't think I"m alone in that...what do you think?

Jesus, Our Deliberate Saviour

     First, I apologize for my relative silence the last several weeks.  I've been traveling quite a bit, and filling up my soul with family, friends, good books, solitude, etc.  But now I'm mostly in town for the next month, which feels very good!

     I've been reading the gospel of John lately, and during these days of Holy Week, find myself digging into the events of the final days of Jesus on earth.  Here's what keeps leaping out at me about that week - the deliberate and mindful way Jesus walked through the events.  Jesus was most definately aware of all that needed to happen, and He was in control.  During the Last Supper, our Lord moved along the sequence of actions with tremendous awareness, including washing of the disciples' feet, calling out Judas as His betrayer, warning Peter of His pending betrayal, and breaking the bread with His closest band of brothers.  I am so inspired by John's account of all that Jesus had to say that night.  It feels as though He didn't want to leave anything out, that He had stored up some of His most powerful messages for us and was determined we would understand as much as possible before His death.

     How grateful should we be for such a deliberate Saviour - for the fact that in spite of all the agony, shame, and physical pain Jesus would soon endure, he kept on going.  Jesus was a FINISHER!

     On this Maundy Thursday and all weekend long, I want to be exceedingly mindful.  As we engage in our daily activities and responsibilities, may one part of our minds be aware of those long ago days over 2000 years ago that changed absolutely everything.  On Good Friday, between noon and 3:00, I want to remember that the entire earth became totally dark.  I want to live all day Saturday with that sense of in-between, not-yet resolution...and on Sunday morning, I want to burst with joy at the wonder of the Resurrection.

     Blessings on you, fellow Christ followers, on this holiest of weeks.  May you and I be mindful and grateful for our deliberate Saviour...