First Presbyterian Church Fort Dodge

In the coming two weeks, I’ll be preaching about Sabbath. Although we’ve had Sabbath Sundays throughout the school year on the second week of each month, we haven’t always preached about Sabbath on those days. In the remainder of April, I will be emphasizing Sabbath more explicitly.

In preparation for these sermons, I’ve been going through two books: Sabbath as Resistance, by Walter Brueggemann, and An Other Kingdom, by Peter Block, Walter Brueggemann, and John McKnight.

Both of these books have challenged me in many of the assumptions about our culture that I simply take for granted. Without seeming totally backward, antiquated, or antagonistic, these books question the unmitigated expansion of technology, globalism, consumerism, and the free market economy of our culture.

            The central premise that is that Scripture in both the Old and New Testament describe the “otherness” of God’s people. Israel was a nation set apart. The early church was a city set on a hill. Paul says, “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world…” in Romans 12:2.

            We often think this means that as Christians, we just don’t drink, do drugs, swear, or party. I wonder if there’s something deeper, even more basic?

            Our continued drive toward consumerism – find the most goods for the cheapest price – hasn’t always had a positive impact. Sure, capitalistic tendencies drive companies like Apple to create the iPhone and revolutionize the way we communicate. However, capitalism also drives Apple to come out with the iPhone 7, even though the 6 is more than adequate. Further, we become convinced that what we have isn’t enough.

            New becomes a virtue of primary importance. In order to have the newest, the most, or the coolest, we work more hours, we spend more time away from one another, use more natural resources, and we exhaust ourselves. Meanwhile, people in other parts of the world frequently work for less than a living wage so that our new clothes can be a few dollars cheaper. Large corporations overshadow local businesses. Local governments no longer receive funding they used to because so many millions of us use services like Amazon for the bulk of their shopping, and it’s tax-free.

            What if embracing a life of Sabbath isn’t just about resting because we need more energy? What if embracing Sabbath is a way of living out Romans 12:2, a way of refusing to conform to the pattern of this world? Maybe Sabbath consists of refusing to buy into the narratives of our consumer culture.

Sabbath might feel like a passive way of life, but in reality, it’s one of the most active ways we can live out our faith. How might embracing Sabbath be counter-cultural for you?

Blessings,

Austin D. Hill