Sidney UMC - Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost - 08/21/22 - Sermon - “Is That Really Work?”

                                   Sunday 08/21/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “Is That Really Work?”                                              

Old Testament Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4-10                                      

New Testament Scripture: Hebrews 12:18-29

Gospel Lesson: Luke 13:10-17

          I remember that when I was a little boy a lot of places were closed on Sundays. Remember the “Blue Laws” or the “Sunday Laws?” I mean after all; Sunday is the Lord’s Day. Stores and many other forms of business were closed, as this was a day to go to church, spend time with family, and to rest. In Biblical terms Sunday can be called a “Sabbath Day”. Some folks would go to church, come home, and have a big family meal. Families and friend would just spend time together. Some families would take a Sunday drive in their car, or go and visit family and friends. In essence, Sunday was a day of rest. If someone had to work on Sunday, in essential businesses or services, then hopefully they would get another day or two off during the week.

          My “Sabbath Day” is Friday. There are some church leaders like Sarah, Roy, and many others that tell me often that on Friday I should be resting. “It is a day of rest for you Pastor Paul,” I am told. Yet, if Sunday is our “Sabbath Day,” or if we take a “Sabbath Day” on another day of the week, how do we spend it? I mean biblically speaking it is supposed to be a day of rest. So, should we just lay in bed all day? Can we mow the lawn? Can we do laundry? Can we cook? Can we do a project around the house or the apartment?

          I ask all of this, because biblically the “Sabbath Day” is a day of rest, without work. In fact, the Book of Genesis it tells us of the creation story in 2:1-3 this:

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation” (Gen. 2:1-3, NRSV).

          I remember when I was in the Holy Land or Israel in 2014. My seminary classmates, professors, and I, were in the ancient city of Jerusalem. It was Friday late afternoon, and market places were buzzing. Then in a matter of minutes all of the Jewish folks were just gone. The Sabbath was coming, and they had to have a cessation of work for the day, as God commanded them to do so in the Book of Genesis/the Ten Commandments. Some Jewish folks headed to the Synagogue to worship God, but it was day of rest until sundown on Saturday night.

          So, a day of rest, the “Lord’s Day,” a “Sabbath Day”. We are supposed to rest and not work, as God did the same on the seventh day of creation. Here is the question then my friends, what is work? Let me ask this again? If it is the “Lord’s Day,” or our “Sabbath Day” is a day of rest, then what counts as work? I mean should we stay in bed for 24-hours? Can we do the dishes, or is that work? Can we do the laundry, or is that work? Can we go to the grocery store, or is that work? I think that you get the idea here. Not working on our “Sabbath Day” and resting is a biblical idea. As pastor’s, our district superintendents and our bishops are constantly reminding us to take our vacation time, to practice self-care, and to take our “Sabbath Day” every week. As I said, my “Sabbath Day” is on Friday. Once again though, “What is work”?

          I remember when I was kid my mom worked with some orthodox Jewish men. A couple of them would call the other on Friday night before the sun went down, and they would leave a live phone open for 24-hours during the “Sabbath Day”. Why? Well making a phone call on the “Sabbath” was work, but talking on the phone was not.

          I remember hearing a story from a former parishioner named Don, who has since passed on to glory. Don grew up in Boston, and he told me that when he was a kid some of the Jewish folks would pay him a quarter to like their wood burning stoves for them on the sabbath. Lighting the wood stove apparently was work. If you take a day of rest every week though, what do you consider work?

          I ask all of this, because one of the accusations leveled against Jesus by the pharisees, the scribes, and the other religious leaders was that he did work on the “Sabbath Day”. I do not think that Jesus did work on the “Sabbath Day,” rather I think that the religious leaders were attempting to make it look like that Jesus was violating the Ten Commandments and the other Jewish Laws or Law of Moses. If Jesus violated the Jewish Laws or the Law of Moses that this would discredit his claim to be the Son of the God, the savior, the Messiah.

          This morning, we have a religious leader, a leader of a synagogue accusing Jesus of working on the “Sabbath Day”. This is a serious sin against God. The reason for this accusation against Jesus, was that Jesus healed a sick and hurting woman (Lk. 13:10-17, NRSV). Is that work?

          As you are thinking about this, I want to highlight our other two scripture for this morning. In looking at our scripture reading from Jeremiah 1:4-10 for this morning once again, we hear that God spoke to Jeremiah. God tells Jeremiah that he: “appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer. 1:5b, NRSV). God called Jeremiah to speak and bring people back to holiness and Godliness. Jeremiah however, does not think he can do this, for he is young and not ready. God tells Jeremiah to that he will empower him. In fact, our reading from the Book of Jeremiah ends for this morning, once again with 1:9-10 saying:

9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jer. 1:9-10, NRSV).

          Jeremiah, a great prophet or truth teller of the Old Testament is called to call people back to God, and back to holiness. Among other things that God used Jeremiah to call the people to, I can imagine observing the “Sabbath Day” was quite important. Taking a day of rest every week. However, if the Jewish people and us Christians do this, which is good to do, then what counts as work?

          In looking at our reading from Hebrews 12:18-29 for this morning once again, the Apostle Paul is comparing the Old Covenant of God through Moses, to the New Covenant of God through Jesus Christ. This New Covenant offered to us through the cross and the blood of Christ is eternal and unwavering. In fact, the Apostle Paul ends our reading from the Book of Hebrews for this morning with 12:28-29 saying:

²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; ²⁹ for indeed our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28-29, NRSV).

          Jesus is the New Covenant, our hope, our salvation, and even so, Jesus rested. Jesus took time to rest, to pray, and prepare for what was next. Keeping the “Sabbath Holy” is what part of the commandment from the Ten Commandments says. Yet, what amount or type of work would we have to do violate the command to have a “Sabbath Day” and keep it holy. If we have a day off or a vacation, and we are supposed to relax and not work, well then, once again, what is work?

          This leads me to our gospel lesson for this morning once again, where Jesus is accused of working on the “Sabbath Day,” or the “Lord’s Day,” which is a big “no no”. Is what Jesus is doing this morning work though? Let’s look at the gospel of Luke 13:10-17 once again. Starting in 13:10 it says of Jesus:

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight                                          (Lk. 13:10-11, NRSV).

          So, Jesus is teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, which means Saturday, as this is the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus is not heckled for teaching however, and some may think that teaching is not work. I know many teachers that would beg to differ! Continuing on in our gospel of Luke reading for this morning, Jesus responds to the crippled woman. Picking in 13:12 it says:

12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 13 When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day” (Lk. 13:12-14, NRSV).

          The leader, the priest, the head of this Jewish Synagogue, chastises or at the very least corrects Jesus. He basically says to Jesus, how dare you heal someone on the Sabbath. Apparently, teaching is not work on the Sabbath, but healing a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years is work on the Sabbath. If Sunday is the “Lord’s Day,” or the “Sabbath Day,” or if you have another “Sabbath Day” every week, are you determined to use that day as a day of rest? If so, what is work, and what is not work? To me, I think that leader of the Synagogue this morning, was trying to get Jesus on any little thing or technicality that he could. I mean he laid hands on a woman and healed her. Is that work?

          Perhaps more importantly, how does Jesus then respond to this allegation that he has sinned against God, by working on the Sabbath? Once again, our gospel of Luke reading ends for this morning with 13:15-17, with Jesus’ speaking, saying:

15 But the Lord answered him and

said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? 16 And ought not   this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” 17 When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing (Lk. 13:15-17, NRSV).

          So, friends, is it biblical to try to have a “Sabbath Day” for ourselves every week? Yes, it is. Are all able to do it on the Christian Sabbath day of Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection? No. I have one question then, if we are determined to have a day of rest, then what is work?

          I would say that the “Sabbath Day” is a day to connect with God, to care for yourself, and to replenish and refill ourselves for the rest of the week. What counts as work though? Well, this a tough question. What I can say is that I would encourage you all to take a “Sabbath Day,” and we might never fully agree on what work is.

I think that what Jesus is saying this morning though, is that it is more of the spirit of what the “Sabbath Day” is. Are we try to rest, are we trying to connect with God, replenish, and refill ourselves? Or, are we more concerned upon dotting every little “i” and crossing every little “t”. The “Sabbath Day” was made for us to rest, to reconnect to God, and to refill, and replenish ourselves. What counts as work then? Well, I guess it depends on who you ask. So, friends, on your next “Sabbath Day” if you want to do something, you can ask yourself the question, “Is That Really Work?” I personally think though that healing a woman on the Sabbath, who had been crippled for eighteen years, is not work. Amen.