Last Wednesday, I travelled down to London by train, to assist with the moving of my two aunts into care homes. It has been a difficult decision, reached after weeks of anxious deliberation, but at last they are now safe and cared for.
The journey both ways gave me some valued reading time: almost a whole John Grisham novel, and a theology book which has been sitting on my coffee table for months. By Walter Brueggemann, it is entitled 'Sabbath as Resistance - Saying NO to the Culture of NOW.' It's all in the title really. His claim is that our society is engaged in the fruitless, 'endless pursuit of greater security and greater happiness, a pursuit that is always unsatisfied because we have never gotten (sic) or done enough...yet. The gods...of market ideology...summon to endless desires and needs that are never met but...always require yet greater effort.' Just listen to all the General Election debates to realise the truth of those words! By learning to rest, to step aside from the urge always to do more or to do better, we become more fully alive. The 4th Commandment (about Sabbath) acts as a bridge between the first three - the worship of God - and the last six - concern for our neighbour.
If Sabbath is resistance to the Culture of Now, then I reckon giving is an act of defiance. Because the more we give, and the discipline with which we give, is a way of making sure that we are not enslaved by the desire to acquire.
So this week's theme is about stewardship - another 'uprising' in the community of faith after the Resurrection. Put simply, McLaren says, stewardship is love in action.
No comments:
Post a Comment