The Sabbath: The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath, so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”. Mark 2:27-28

We are now in the long season known as season after Pentecost, which runs through Christ the King Sunday. As we take this journey, nourished by the scriptures appointed for the season and empowered by our baptisms, we are invited to be on the lookout for all the blessings found in the ordinary – to see God at work here and now. And we are compelled to share our blessings with others.

Pentecost is a time in which the mission of the church is carried out in the day-to-day life of our lives. And interestingly, we will probably encounter some out-of-the-ordinary events in our own lives and possibly even in our life together in this particular church community. The gift of this time – if we keep on looking for it – is finding the hidden blessings amid the ordinary occurrences. We could agree to share with each other, as we go along, things the world might consider unexceptional – a maple tree we noticed on a walk, an intriguing insight from a young child, even a place to purchase really fresh tomatoes.

The word Sabbath means to cease or to stop. Sabbath is a day of religious observance and a time when we stop work. What do you think Jesus meant when he said, “The sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the sabbath.”

Sabbath is something you have to plan for so that you are ready for it. If you were going to take a whole day off to rest and be with God and your family, what would you do? What would you not do?

Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for the sabbath, a time when we rest and purposefully spend time with you and one another. Be with us as we pray and learn today. Amen.