September Slow Down

 

                       Eugene Golovesov on Unsplash

In our own contemporary context of the rat race of anxiety, the celebration of the Sabbath is an act of both resistance and alternative. It is resistance because it is a visible insistence that our lives are not defined by the production and consumption of commodity goods. Walter Brueggemann 

 

To rewire our brains to believe that we are not defined or confined by what we produce and consume will take a minute in our lives.  We have been formed by the Protestant Work Ethic and cultural narratives that “rest is to rust”.  For many, the cultural sin of laziness is the deadliest.  And we have caught a cultural script that if we don’t spend what we make, we are somehow not good Americans.  Remember, after September 11^th, we were encouraged to buy things and go places.  Remember how often Thanksgiving to Christmas becomes a non-stop spending spree.  Remember how, as soon as Christmas is over, Valentine's Day goes up.  We are caught in a cycle of chaotic motion that impacts our emotions.  Stepping out of this stream feels not only counter-cultural but also like we may be shamed by family and friends. 

 

Consider, where have you tapped your credit card to pay this last month?  Groceries?  Yup.  Doctor’s visits?  Sure.  Maybe on theater tickets or eating out, and of course, the gas for our cars to get there.  To cease the endless consumption and production stretches our souls.  For fifteen minutes right now, remind yourself that you are not the balance of your bank account, nor your overflowing calendar with no margin, nor how many people you helped.  You are God’s beloved.  Period.  No reason or rationale.  Remember from Sunday, when Jeremiah said, “I am only…or I am just a child,” God didn’t accept that reason.  Age, gender, orientation, race, and beliefs are not disqualifiers for God’s call.  You are more than “only” or “just”.  How you see yourself may not be how God sees you. 

 

If trying to be still for fifteen minutes, grounding yourself in God’s presence makes you twitch, it is okay.  It does me too.  That is the anxiety of a culture that is addicted to hurry and scurry and the flurry of things.  We live in a world where leaders flood the zone with press releases every day, meant to short-circuit our brains.  We live in a world where social media makes an obscene amount of money to keep you clicking.  We live in a world where being bored is almost a sin. 

 

Breathe, be.  Remember the great words of the hymn, Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure, until my will is one with yours, to rest (my change) and to endure.

 

May it be so for you and me today and this week.  Amen.