tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985643612405599202.post7858046048907726138..comments2023-08-10T04:06:39.828-04:00Comments on The Proclaimed Word: Redeeming Time - Exodus 20:1-17A.J. Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06292984443374812223noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985643612405599202.post-66509477381760973682009-04-21T00:31:00.000-04:002009-04-21T00:31:00.000-04:00You ask why we do rush around and work ourselves t...You ask why we do rush around and work ourselves to death; why we don't slow down and spend contemplative time with God. A few thoughts:<br /><br />I think we're scared of silence and stillness. Watch how fidgety people get with a lull in the conversation or without the radio on in the car.<br /><br />Society also teaches us to be self-made, self-reliant, self-supporting, etc. We're in love with "self." Self is the most important and most reliable relationship any of us has. I think we work so hard because we all believe that no one can do it better than we can, including God.<br /><br />Work is a value of our society, and its opposite is laziness or sloth. Laziness and sloth are both obviously pejorative, so I think we tend toward workaholism to avoid being perceived as lazy. Really, we're insecure people, at our core.<br /><br />The corrective, of course, is re-aligning ourselves with God's priorities. The kingdom of God has a different set of values. Notice: it doesn't embrace laziness (so the values are therefore not completely opposite), but it does embrace times of rest, renewal, sabbath, and reflection.A.J. Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06292984443374812223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985643612405599202.post-31020415003277356862009-03-15T18:53:00.000-04:002009-03-15T18:53:00.000-04:00Wow. The insight that the first day Adam and Eve h...Wow. The insight that the <I>first</I> day Adam and Eve had was Rest Day is quite startling, and certainly reframes this command, as well as challenging the idea of earning our rest. Yet again, God is much more gracious to us than we are to ourselves.<BR/><BR/>I love the "hey, you're in my house, here are the House Rules so you can have a good time" analogy. It reminds me of the rules that Catherine the Great made for the Hermitage (Russian Tsar Palace; now one of the largest art museums in the world) - and, of course, there are ten of them, too:<BR/><BR/><I>1. All ranks shall be left behind at the doors, as well as swords and hats.<BR/>2. Parochialism and ambitions shall also be left behind at the doors.<BR/>3. One shall be joyful but shall not try to damage, break or gnaw at anything.<BR/>4. One shall sit or stand as one pleases.<BR/>5. One shall speak with moderation and quietly so that others do not get a headache.<BR/>6. One shall not argue angrily or passionately.<BR/>7. One shall not sigh or yawn.<BR/>8. One shall not interfere with any entertainment suggested by others.<BR/>9. One shall eat with pleasure, but drink with moderation so that each can leave the room unassisted.<BR/>10. One shall not wash dirty linen in public and shall mind one’s own business until one leaves. </I><BR/><BR/><BR/>You also make a good point about our spending all our time rushing around working, and missing out on contemplative time to assess our lives and dwell with God. I'll hazard a guess that we miss out on that kind of time with other people, too. How did Jesus sum up the Law and the Prophets? Oh, yeah, <I>be in communion with God and man</I>. <BR/><BR/>Why do you think we do this? Why do we need to work so many hours? What fundamental assumptions are we making here that cause us to take steps against other things which would otherwise be priorities (family, friends, health, pleasure)? What does it say about my relationship with God when I work instead of spending time with Him?<BR/><BR/>I'm certainly not one to offer answers; I'm a struggling workaholic (cutting my hours this month from 80+ down to 50 or so - a big step for me). But it seems to me that there's something warped or exaggerated that makes it seem ok to work all the time and even revel in it.<BR/><BR/>Going back to missing out on contemplative time: it seems as if God doesn't want us just to DO all the time, but rather to be a thoughtful people, taking time to sit and think and assess and weigh. This makes Him a much bigger God than the local idols at the time, which not only didn't give days off, but also required unquestioning obedience.<BR/><BR/>Excellent thoughts. I'm joining your congregation - as soon as I can get my hands on a teleporter to help out with the commute. ;-)Aseahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08826709753219815266noreply@blogger.com