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A Weekly Reminder
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Sabbath is a weekly invitation -- not to prohibition, but to permission -- to enter into the fullness of life as a part of God's creation.
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Sunday as Sabbath, if you are old enough, conjures up images of closed businesses and quiet activities. It was a day for "thou shalt not." Don't work, don't go to the movies, don't play cards, don't miss church, and don't look like you are having fun! It wasn't all bad. For many, Sunday meant family dinners when relatives dropped in, and a slower pace to interrupt the rhythm of the work week.
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Sabbath is more than what not to do. The seventh day of creation stands alone to remind us that we are not the Creator. The world does not exist because of our frenetic activity and our mindless busyness. Each week there is a reminder that we are the created, a part of something wonderful and awesome that is beyond our own clever crafting or industrious labor.
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The entire cosmos is a gift -- us and everything in it -- close at hand or light years away. It is chaos brought to order by a Divine Word spoken. The result is a system or provision and abundance so magnificent that you only have to work six days and yet there is supply and produce for seven.
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"Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don't do ay work" (Exodus 20:10, MSG). Permission not to work. A command of God not to try to cram eight days into seven. A promise again of enough and an invitation to dare to trust God.
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For Focus and Reflection: Where and how in my life do I take time to rest and catch my breath?
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Prayer: Holy One, may I come to rely more on your promise of provision. Amen.
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Community of Prayer Stewardship Devotional
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Copyright ©2016 by Bruce A. Barkhauer
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Permission to copy & email given by Center for Faith and Giving
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