 Rev. Rod Quainton |
Ash
Wednesday Homily
Sermon:
Scripture: |
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You may be
wondering why we are hearing about the Sabbath on a Wednesday.
What’s Sabbath got to do with Lent? First of all, let me
state at the outset that keeping Sabbath is a major challenge
for me and Lent is a unique opportunity to remember and
experience Sabbath. Since
I have crossed the threshold of 60, I’ve become much more
conscious of time. In fact, a seminary professor once told me
that Stephen Hawking, the renowned British physicist and
author of A Brief History of Time, was
the greatest theologian of the twentieth century because God
was time! It was one of those provocative statements that has
forever stuck in my brain. The Bible is constantly reminding
us that time is a gift to be savored, as indicated in the
passages you just heard. Last
week, I spent winter break up north in a condo with a direct,
unobstructed view of Lake Michigan, which was totally frozen
over and dotted with ice heaves. It looked like a white lunar
landscape or the desolate pictures of Antarctica from National
Geographic. I was mesmerized watching the
seemingly-motionless ice flows while reflecting that time was
passing and that, in spite of the seemingly-motionless
landscape, there was motion underlying it all. Time never
stands still, but I discovered in my brief reverie that I
could savor it. For a “Type A” personality like myself,
that in and of itself was a revelation. In my
hospital visitations, I have become acutely aware of time. For
some, hospitalization marks the winding down of a time that is
fading away. For others, it is the first time that the
fragility of life and the shortness of time come together.
Whether we are in the final stages or not, life is about the
passage of time and how we utilize it. Sabbath
seems to be a popular topic in these precincts. The Tuesday
Morning Women’s Group is reading Finding God in the
Garden, which has a chapter devoted to Sabbath
thinking. The Arbon Dennis Men’s Group has been reading
Kathleen Norris’ Amazing Grace, which also has
a chapter on Sabbath. The Christ Centered Women’s Group is,
in fact, reading a book entitled Sabbath. Sabbath is a
difficult concept for us 24/7 wired Americans who are never
more than a ring or a buzz away from work—what with pagers,
cell phones, palm pilots and all the gadgets which keep us
connected. Lent is, in
fact, a time journey, a countdown of its own, 40 days. Sabbath
is not an invitation but a command. Sabbath is about taking
time out, time away, time from, time for, and time to. I want
to suggest a Lenten discipline: that we incorporate Sabbath
time in our lives. That is setting aside one-seventh of each
hour, each day, each week, etc. for Sabbath time. Time away.
Time out. Time from. Time to. Whatever that means to you,
Sabbath is about taking time that is restful, refreshing,
worshipful and different from our regular routines to reflect
upon the gift of life. It might be time for quiet, exercise,
family, gardening, reading—you fill in the blanks. Perhaps
it is time to reach out and touch someone. Last Sunday in his
sermon, Dr. Ritter indicated that this Lent he would undertake
to send 40 hand-written notes. I wish I had thought of that.
This Lent, I plan to take time to make 40 phone calls to
people who have touched my life over the years and with whom I
do not normally converse. This Lent, how do you want to take time? Time from…….. Time for…….. Time to……..
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