Taking time to listen

 

Deuteronomy 5: 12-15
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
June 2, 2024 – Celebration Sunday

Photo of a candle burning in an amber colored jar. The candle is resting on a table covered with a light gray woven, textured tablecloth. Next to the candle is a clear glass jar with dried translucent lunaria or silver dollar plant leaves on stems.

Sometimes I am almost afraid to talk about sabbath and rest because of how much we all need it and yet we can never seem to rest enough. Sometimes I am hesitant to talk about my recent sabbatical for fear that I will contribute to someone’s justified resentment that they do not have that opportunity and the distance between us will open like a chasm.



Rest is a human right, a necessity for living, and yet we have made it into something that must be earned, a reward for our productivity, a symbol of our worth. The ability to rest has become synonymous with privilege or lack of it—not only how much paid time off we have, if any, but also what others expect from us given our gender, skin color, socioeconomic class, ability, and our age. For some of us, a day of sabbath is just not possible, because choices have been made for us.



And so, the law that God would have God’s people follow is directed to those with privilege and wealth. The law, the dream of how God’s people would live was given in Exodus— “You shall remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”—and in Deuteronomy, how we live out that law, that dream is explained in detail. Those who have privilege and wealth—family, workers, animals, land—are to set the spiritual practice of sabbath not only for themselves but every person, every creature, and the land they are responsible for. Workers are to have the same rest as those who have privilege and wealth. We’re all human together.



God reminds God’s people that once they were enslaved, that while they were enslaved they heard God’s call of justice and liberation. In a way, it’s a warning. Don’t go backward, keep moving forward. Don’t return to being enslaved, liberate yourself by liberating others. It’s another reminder to love your neighbor as yourself.



But I don’t see those with privilege and wealth giving workers more paid time off or getting behind legislation for a 32-hour work week. And so, rest has become a means of protest, as author Tricia Hersey puts it in her book Rest Is Resistance. She writes, “You don’t need anyone’s permission to rest, to resist…”. Still, it can be difficult for us to remove barriers to sabbath that have been placed in our way, like lack of childcare, less than a living wage, unaffordable housing, the hypervigilance of existing in unsafe spaces. Sometimes we must make sabbath for ourselves in an hour, in a few minutes, a moment. Our spiritual practice of rest does not have to be perfect, only an open heart toward ourselves and our self-worth.



I talk a lot about disrupting our lives for others, that this Table is about Jesus disrupting his life for us. Rest is about disrupting our lives for us. It’s about taking time to listen to our bodies, this body broken for you, that one day there would be no more breaking of bodies. It’s about taking time to listen to our breath, our heartbeat, this blood poured out for you, that one day there would be no more bloodshed.



On this first Sunday of Pride Month, it’s also about taking time to listen to the experiences of others and being a safe restful space for them to be themselves. In this month of so many celebrations, rest is about taking time to listen to hopes and joys, future plans and dreams, excitement at entering one’s field and fear of the grind culture taking over.



At this Table Jesus tells us, “Whenever you do this, remember me.” Remember you, too. Remember who you are. Remember your worth. Remember to rest. Remember that God desires that you have all the sabbath you need to be restored and to keep that holy, sacred. That you may be whole.


Inhale: I deserve more than exhaustion.
Exhale: I return home to myself.

Inhale: May I rest
Exhale: that I might dream.

Inhale: I’ve given enough.
Exhale: I choose rest.

—Black Liturgies, “Rest”, by Cole Arthur Riley

Amen.

Poster with an aurora borealis background of greens and blues with stars interspersed, with this quote by Vex King superimposed: "Give yourself more credit. You're trying to grow while trying to heal. You're trying to forgive while trying to grieve. You're trying to search while trying to let go. And you're trying to love others while remembering how to love yourself. You're doing the best you can."

Benediction – enfleshed.com


Go, dreaming-forth a world
where exploitation is no more,
and where rest, ease, and play
flow through our days.