for Nov. 25 - Dec. 1: Jeremiah 31. 31-34

The days are surely coming, says the Lord³², when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord³³.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord³⁴: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Singing the Song of Sabbath

I want to share the lyrics of the song I've been using in my sabbath time. I've been captured by this song ever since I heard it the first time. The lyrics are so evocative and speak directly to the heart of what I believe faith is all about. I'm reminded of C.S. Lewis' imagery of the creation, of Narnia, where Aslan breathes Narnia into life by singing, and slowly he is joined by the other creatures until all of Narnia is singing Aslan's song of creation. I find an incredible parallel between that image and what we're doing. One person began singing the song of Sabbath, who then invited the team to come along with them, and now the team is singing the song of Sabbath, and inviting others to come along with us. We don't know where the song is going, but we're singing it anyways, because when we sing together, there is no feeling like it. As the song says, we are "Surrendering to the mystery" regardless of whether we understand it or not. Take a minute to reflect on these lyrics, and let us know what you think.

This is the sound of one voice
One spirit, one voice
The sound of one who makes a choice
This is the sound of one voice
This is the sound of one voice

This is the sound of voices two
The sound of me singin' with you
Helpin' each other to make it through
This is the sound of voices two
This is the sound of voices two

This is the sound of voices three
Singin' together in harmony
Surrendering to the mystery
This is the sound of voices three
This is the sound of voices three

This is the sound of all of us
Singin' with love and the will to trust
Leave the rest behind, it will turn to dust
This is the sound of all of us
This is the sound of all of us

This is the sound of one voice
One people, one voice
A song for every one of us
This is the sound of one voice
This is the sound of one voice

"One Voice" by the Wailin Jennys

This is Hard Work - Sabbath Keeping

Accountability is what I need to maintain my Sabbath Keeping ritual. I have been neglecting my commitment to the team and to myself over the last month. It is so easy to slip away from what our hearts truly desire, a place where space and time are not in jeopardy of being abused in order that they fit into the profit and productivity of our days.
I have been reading the book, The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel, and have been moved by the practice of the six days prior to the Sabbath day being a pilgrimage towards our Sabbath practice on the Seventh day. So often we try to cram into our week one hour at church, making it fit our sense of time and space. In this cramming, we abuse ourselves and the purpose of the Sabbath is lost - how are we able to see the holy in ourselves, if we cannot see the holy in the time and space that surrounds our everyday life.
And so, I call to the youth and young adults of my congregation to hold me accountable for my own Sabbath time, I have invited them into my practice, thus pressuring myself to partake in this experience fully. They have been invited to read the blog posts through personal letters and an invitation in the church newsletter.
Last night, I went to a speaker series on the future of Mississauga, a city next to Toronto. My true reason for attending the evening was that Justin Trudeau was the keynote speaker. Ben, one of my youth, and I sat listening to the wise words of this young Canadian, and it was not long before his environmental focus shifted towards the idea of a mishapped view of time and space. It felt as if he too had read my Sabbath book and I agained realized how desperate the world is, its people, its waterways, its forest and animals, the air, the birds - all of creation is longing for a Sabbath time.
This is hard work, but when is important work easy? I again look forward to Friday as my Sabbath day!
Peace
Michael

You can lose your way in the desert

That's a line from the Godly Play stories that are told in the desert box. It's also quite apropos of my week.

I was feeling really good on Tuesday as I set out for my first meeting with my Sabbath mentor. Okay, I haven't been carving out the hour to engage in the ritual, but I do have a mentor and we were having our first meeting. Our time together was great, she was encouraging, we broke bread and laughed together.

From her house I was heading to Five Oaks to lead a workshop on Godly Play. My mentor said she'd give me directions so that I could avoid the traffic on the 403 that would already be building by mid-afternoon. Well, you've guessed it; I got lost. I wandered this way and that way and finally, after a frantic phone call, I was back at her house and starting over again nearly an hour later! I did make it to Five Oaks with just enough time to get set up while the participants were eating dinner. The workshops went great and I started for home. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I phoned Andrew to let him know that I was on the road and we chatted for a while as I drove along. Well, you guessed it, I missed a turn and got lost again! This time it was dark and I was in the country and I kept driving over Highway 403 but there was no on-ramp for me to get to it. Finally, I saw a United Church with a big, lighted sign and a website printed on the sign. I called Andrew again and asked him to go to their website and tell me where I was. Turns out, I was less than a kilometre from Five Oaks, so once again I was back at my starting point nearly an hour later than when I'd first set out.

In reflecting back on my week and preparing for my first celebration of the Sabbath ritual this afternoon, it dawned on me that perhaps I truly was in a desert moment of life and I have lost my way a bit. It's been a busy and chaotic summer and autumn in the General Council Office. I've travelled over many weekends and haven't participated much in the worshipping life of the congregation of which I'm a part. I haven't made as much time as I usually do to nurture the relationships that are important to me and it's beginning to show.

Can lighting a candle and thinking of you once a week help me with that? Can focused monthly visits with a friend help me find my way? I'm not sure, but it helps to know that even if I lose my way on this journey there are others out there who can point me in another direction.

Sabbath blessings,

Amy