Propio/Proper 4 B + Sabbath / Sabat + 6.2.24

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M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(1 Sam. 3:1–10, (11–20); Ps/S. 139:1–6, 13–18; 2 Cor. 4:5–12; Marcos/Mark 2:23–3:6)

Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath.”

Jesús añadió: —El sábado se hizo para el hombre, y no el hombre para el sábado.

Isn’t that a lovely reminder – religious rules weren’t put there for their own benefit or just to bolster a sense of religiosity, but so that we would have abundance of life.

Es un recordatorio bueno que las leyes religiosas no fueron diseñados solo para apoyarse a la religión, pero para que tengamos la vida abundante.

What is a Sabbath day? ¿Qué es un día Sabbat?

In observant Judaism it can be seen as a law, following on the commandments given to Moses. Honor the seventh day. Just as God rested after the completion of the creation, so must we, one day a week.
En el judaísmo observante es una ley, que sigue uno de los diez mandamientos – observa el día del sábado. Justo como descansó Dios al fin de la creación, también debemos descansar.

In modern life, it is very difficult to take a whole day off to rest. Even if you are retired, you may find your schedule filling up with appointments and engagements.
En nuestra vida diaria actual es muy difícil tomar este tiempo de descansar – aun si uno este jubilado se puede ver su horario llenando con actividades.

And to be clear, there are activities that are life giving. I hope that coming to church is a time of rest for many people, or spending time with friends and/or family. Two things to me are important about sabbath time- unhurriedness and time with loved ones and God.

Para ser muy claro, hay actividades que dan la vida. Espero que venir a la iglesia es un tiempo de descanso para varias personas, y compartir tiempo con amigos y/o familia. Dos cosas me parecen mas importantes para observar un tiempo de Sabbat- no estar con prisa y tiempo con seres queridos y Dios.

It may be very difficult for some of us to set aside a whole day for this. Puede ser muy dificil apartar un día entero.

But I challenge you to set aside whatever time you can. Because doing so reminds you that you are not doing this alone. That God has got you and that you can allow yourself to rest from time to time.

Pero les dé un reto de apartar el tiempo que pueda. Porque hacer esto nos recuerda que no estamos solos. Que Dios nos esta sosteniendo y que puedes descansar de vez en cuando.

Esta semana vi una publicación en Instagram de David Serrano. El compartió su tatuaje “Memento Mori” que le hace recordar que la vida es breve.

I am reminded of David Serrano’s post this week which in part featured his tattoo “Memento Mori,” a reminder to himself that life is short.

He shared about a time in his life when he was working crazy hours to provide for his family, even Sundays at times, but that he has recently been able to transition to a different form of employment and have more time with his family and friends. In short, to take the time to enjoy life and not be constantly caught up in the rat race.

Compartió sobre un tiempo en que el estaba trabajando muchas horas para apoyar a su familia, a veces trabajando los siete días. Y como recientemente ha podido hacer una transición a un trabajo diferente que le dará la oportunidad de estar más tiempo con sus seres queridos. En sum, para poder disfrutar la vida y no estar siempre atareada en una vida frenética.[1]

Hablando del pasaje en Deuteronomio, una otra lección posible para el antiguo testamento de hoy, Vanessa Lovelace dice “Israel, en recordar su trabajo debajo de los capataces egipcios, demanda el descanso para toda la creación.”[2]

Speaking of an alternate first reading for today, Vanessa Lovelace says: “Israel, in recalling its own labor under Egyptian taskmasters, demands rest for all creation.”[3] In the same way that the people of Israel were slaves no longer to production to Egypt, we should no longer be slaves to a society that wishes us to constantly produce. We deserve to be, to exist, and to delight in creation and each other.

No debemos ser esclavos tampoco, pero es nuestro derecho ser, existir y deleitar en la creación de Dios y el uno en el otro.

We do this because of the God who knew us from the womb and loves us just as we are. Hacemos esto por la razón del Dios quien nos conoció en el vientre y nos ama tal como somos.

We do this because at the end of our story, we want to say we proclaimed Christ, not how great we were at doing all the things ourselves. Hacemos esto porque al fin de nuestra historia, queremos compartir que proclamamos a Cristo, no nuestra habilidad de hacer todas las cosas.

But most of all, we do this because it is only by taking some downtime that we can truly listen to God and each other. I truly believe that time off together is vital to the survival of marriages- even if it is just a date night once in a while. Families taking time together can be vital to kids’ social and emotional well-being. And similarly, we must dedicate time to other important relationships in our lives.

Mas que esto, hacemos esto por que en tomar el tiempo de descanso también podemos realmente escuchar para la voz de Dios y escuchar bien a nuestros seres queridos. Yo pienso que el tiempo de Sabbat puede salvar a matrimonios porque da una oportunidad de realmente hablar y escuchar- aun si solo es la oportunidad de ir en una cita romántica de vez en cuando. Pasar tiempo en familia, los adultos y niños juntos, es importante para el bienestar de los niños. Semejantemente, debemos dedicar tiempo a otras relaciones importantes de nuestras vidas.

Y esto también aplica a Dios. Samuel solo escucha las palabras de Dios cuando todo esta quieto. Samuel only hears God’s call once everything is quiet. When everyone is sleeping. Of course, at first, he very logically thinks it is Eli, the only other person there as far as he knows.

Samuel escucha el llamado de Dios en el silencio de la noche. Cuando todos duermen. Por supuesto al inicio piensa que es Eli, como es la única otra persona allí en el templo según lo que sabe.

But we know God is in the temple!  ¡Sabemos que Dios está en el templo!

We know God is everywhere! Sabemos que Dios está en toda parte.

So, take some time this week, this month to slow down, to listen. Maybe God has a call on your heart. Maybe it is something that will change your life. At the very least, it will improve your relationship with God and your loved ones.

Así que, tomen un poco de tiempo esta semana para escuchar bien a Dios y a sus compañeros. Tal vez Dios pondrá una llamada en tu corazón. Tal vez cambiara a tu vida. Al mínimo, puede mejorar tu relación con Dios y con tus seres queridos.

Amen.

 


[1] David Serrano (@dserrano_grf), Instagram Post May 29, 2024.

[3] Ibid.

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