Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VIII, Cycle B
Revised Common
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
Roman Catholic
Proverbs 9:1-6
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
Episcopal
Proverbs 9:1-6
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:53-59
Theme For The Day
God calls us to wisely use the time we have been given.
Old Testament Lesson
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Solomon's Prayer For Wisdom
After a long and noteworthy reign, David, the greatest of Israel's kings, finally "sleeps with his ancestors" (2:10). Solomon ascends the throne, "and his kingdom was firmly established" (v. 12). The lectionary jumps ahead to chapter 3, to Solomon's solemn prayer for wisdom as he takes up the kingly responsibilities for which he has prepared for all his life. The Lord appears to Solomon in a dream, inviting him to "Ask what I should give you" (3:5b). Solomon asks for "an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil" (v. 9). This answer "pleases the Lord" (v. 10). Expressing admiration that Solomon did not ask for riches or long life or victory over his enemies, but for wisdom, God promises to give Solomon what he asks: "Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you" (v. 12). Yet, even though Solomon did not request riches and honor, God will give them to him anyway: "no other king shall compare with you" (v. 13).
Alternate Old Testament Lesson
Proverbs 9:1-6
Come To Wisdom's Feast!
In this, one of many poetic passages in Proverbs that personifies wisdom in female form, Wisdom invites passersby into her house for a sumptuous feast. She sends her serving girls out into the streets, calling, "You that are simple, turn in here!" (v. 4). "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight" (v. 5). Divine wisdom, in the way of thinking of Proverbs, is a feast. Those who dine at Wisdom's table are not only sustained by what they consume, but are also delighted at the rich fare.
New Testament Lesson
Ephesians 5:15-20
Wise Living
In last week's lectionary selection, we heard advice about how to become "imitators of God, a beloved children" (v. 1). Miscellaneous ethical instructions follow, providing more detail about what this means. Here, in verses 15-16, these instructions continue with an appeal to wise living: to "[make] the most of the time, because the days are evil." The Greek word translated "making the most of the time," eksagorazomenoi, is a fascinating compound word of commercial origin, that literally means something similar to "buying wisely in the marketplace" (the word agora, or "marketplace," is visible within it). Wisdom, in this sense, is not so much a matter of intellectual acumen as resourceful and righteous living. This includes avoiding drunkenness -- a common but self-destructive pastime in the pagan world -- being "filled with the Spirit" instead (v. 18). The passage concludes with a beautiful statement of how Christians are to worship, singing "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 20).
The Gospel
John 6:51-58
Feeding On The Bread Of Heaven
The first verse of this passage overlaps with the last one of the previous week's lectionary selection. Once again we hear Jesus' assertion, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven ..." (v. 51a). Continuing further, we learn that some of Jesus' adversaries have responded with the troubling question, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (v. 52). The question is perhaps not so much one that was raised by Jesus' contemporaries as one that is current in the Johannine church. It affords the opportunity for John to share some of his sacramental theology, with respect to the Lord's Supper. Partaking of the sacramental elements leads to eternal life (vv. 53-55). By partaking of the Lord's body and blood, his followers "abide" (meno) or dwell in him. The bread that Jesus gives is qualitatively different from that which the Israelites of old received in the wilderness: "the one who eats this bread will live forever" (v. 58b). Inasmuch as this passage clearly identifies the sacramental meal with the flesh of Jesus, it is possible that it speaks John's answer to the Docetists -- those who wanted nothing to do with the reality of Jesus' crucifixion, and possibly abstained from the Lord's table as a result. John is clearly asserting, in response, that nourishment from this spiritual food is essential for survival, in the difficult between-times before the Lord's return.
Preaching Possibilities
The advice from Ephesians 5:15, "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time," is a wisdom teaching. Perhaps in conjunction with the Proverbs Old Testament Lesson, it can provide an excellent opportunity for introducing the biblical ideal of wisdom as not so much a matter of intellectual erudition as a common-sense ideal.
Wisdom. From time immemorial people have sought it -- and, for nearly as long, they have been hoodwinked by those who claim to offer it bottled, for convenient consumption. The story is told of one intrepid wisdom-seeker, who climbed to the top of a mountain, and found sitting there the storied wise, old man. "What is the meaning of life?" the traveller asked, as soon as he'd caught his breath.
"Do you mean the breakfast cereal, the board game, or the magazine?" the old man replied. Beware of those claiming to offer wisdom.
That is, unless it's the Bible that makes that claim. In the pages of scripture, we find a very different ideal of wisdom. Far from being something dark and mysterious, a whispered mantra from an eastern mystic, the Bible's idea of wisdom is down-to-earth and practical. It's very similar, in fact, to what we would call "common sense."
Just look at 1 Kings, chapter 3. Solomon, upon receiving the crown of his father, David, prays to the Lord for wisdom. What he desires is not the esoteric secrets of the ages, but merely the clarity of mind to decide judicial cases that are brought before him. The Lord, impressed that Solomon isn't asking for long life or fabulous riches, grants him the discerning mind he craves -- and throws in long life and riches to boot.
Or, take a look at the book of Proverbs -- that compendium of wisdom reputed to have been compiled by King Solomon himself. You can't get more practical than Proverbs. Here are just a few of the wise sayings of this little book -- sayings that have become bywords for our culture:
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
-- Proverbs 15:1
Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
-- Proverbs 16:18
Here's one that perhaps ought to be posted on the wall of every hospital room:
A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.
-- Proverbs 17:22
And what if this one were posted in every corporate boardroom in America?
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
-- Proverbs 22:1
These are not the inscrutable secrets of the ages; they are homey, everyday, common-sense wisdom. Chapter 9 of Proverbs likens wisdom to the hostess at a banquet: when she invites you in, you will not only be nourished, but delighted at the elegant simplicity of the fare she serves.
"Be careful then how you live," says today's Ephesians passage, "not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time...." Then the author goes on to point out what he means by "wise" living: not getting drunk with wine; wives submitting themselves to their husbands; husbands submitting themselves to their wives; children obeying their parents.
Now these may not sound like rare and privileged secrets -- but that's not the point. Ephesians doesn't see wisdom as something you have to seek in the rarified air of a guru's mountaintop hideaway, or in an Ivy League lecture hall; no, it has to do with the stuff of everyday life, the faithful living of these days.
When the author writes about "careful" living, he's using a Greek expression that literally means, "be careful how accurately you walk." Wisdom, this letter is saying, has more to do with our ability to place one foot in front of the other, day after day, than it does our acquaintance with Plato, or Einstein, or Freud, or any other great human mind.
It's about living carefully. Now in the popular imagination, being careful is much the same as being cautious. A "careful" person, as most people use the word, is one who's hesitant to explore the new and different -- who's fearful of the unknown. Yet, "be careful how you live," in this passage, does not mean "be cautious." Rather, it means to "be care-full," filled with caring for others and for the world: "walking the walk" of the Christian, not just "talking the talk."
The final portion of the sermon text advises us to "make the most of the time." "Be careful then how you live," Paul says, "not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil." Literally, the Greek means "redeem the time" -- and that's the way some may remember it, from some older translations.
This isn't a first-century treatise on time management -- but it is an observation that our lives float in a sea of time. How we choose to act changes the very quality of time itself. Ordinary time may be transformed -- by graceful, loving actions -- into God's time.
The Greek word for "redeem" is the same word that's used to describe the buying of a person out of slavery. In a certain way of looking at it, we enslave time, by the ways we choose to use it (or misuse it). By living carefully and wisely, we buy time back from its bondage to futility and decay. We make it fruitful; we claim it for God's purposes.
Prayer For The Day
Lord, help us to go forth from this place care-fully: attuned in caring concern to the needs of our neighbors, our community, our world. Help us to go forth wisely: not distracted by the minutiae of human knowledge, but seeking with clear head and clear eye your will for our lives. Help us to go forth eager to redeem the time: reclaiming each hour for holy purposes. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
To Illustrate
Once there was a world-famous guru, who claimed thousands of disciples. His followers desired nothing more than to spend a few moments in his presence. The favored few lived close to their teacher and hung upon his every word. Others were less fortunate: they had to gather on the porch of his home. Then there was another group, that spilled out into the road -- eager to hear even the secondhand teachings of the great man, repeated by those who had heard him.
The day finally arrived when the great sage lay dying. The three groups waited with eager anticipation for his final words of wisdom. The disciples of the inner circle, those in the teacher's very bedroom, begged him, "Dear teacher, give us your dying words of wisdom."
The guru looked up to the heavens for a moment, then turned to them and answered, "Life ... is like a river."
The disciples on the porch asked, leaning in the windows, "What did he say? What did he say?"
The nearest disciple repeated, "Life ... is like a river."
The followers out on the road heard the commotion, and begged those on the porch, "What did he say? What did he say?"
They repeated, "Life ... is like a river." And the word spread, from one disciple to another.
Everyone nodded gravely at these words of wisdom -- until one of the outermost disciples, at the very fringes of the crowd, asked aloud, "Life is like a river? What on earth does he mean by that?"
And so the question passed back through the crowd, from one disciple to another, until it came to the inner circle. The guru's most trusted retainer leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Life is like a river -- what does that mean?"
The great sage struggled to lift his head from the pillow, then beckoned as if he had something to say. His number-one man leaned down, inclining his ear to catch the slightest whisper. Then came the reply: "Okay. So maybe life isn't like a river!"
***
There's a story from the Jewish tradition, about a famous rabbi and his friends, who had spent an entire morning at manual labor, far from their village. The work was difficult and dirty. At lunchtime his friends brought a pail of water, so their teacher could wash his hands thoroughly, fulfilling the ritual law.
To their surprise, he used only a few drops. How could it be that their wise and pious teacher would avoid the command to wash his hands thoroughly before eating? Cautiously, one of the students asked, "Rabbi, you used so little water. It was not nearly enough to get your hands clean."
Wordlessly, the rabbi pointed to a servant girl walking up the road from the well. Across her shoulders was a yoke, with a heavy jar of water dangling from each end. "How could I do my washing at the expense of this poor girl?" the rabbi asked. "The water I save may prevent one trip to the well for her."
That -- and not narrow-minded observance of the law -- is truly "care-ful living."
***
A few years ago, a television commercial introduced a new convenience food product: a "breakfast bar." The commercial showed a family doing what families so often do, early in the morning: rushing to get out the door. Dad was all set to leave for work, the kids were slinging schoolbags over their shoulders, Mom was trying to make sense of it all -- and they all sort of collided, there in the kitchen. There it was, a second or two of family togetherness before the craziness of the day began in earnest. It would have been nice if they'd had time for breakfast, but there was no time for breakfast. Must meet minimal nutritional needs ...
Mom to the rescue! She turned to each of her family in turn, and tossed them a breakfast bar: a little concoction of two layers of cold cereal, with some white substance resembling milk in between. And there -- through some kind of television magic -- floating in the air over each person's head was a bowl of cold cereal: kind of like the tongues of fire on Pentecost. The message was clear: Your family may not have time for a nice, nutritious bowl of cold cereal, but you can give them all the vitamins and minerals they need by stuffing a breakfast bar in their mouths on the way out the door.
But wait a minute. Isn't cold cereal supposed to be a convenience food? Is Madison Avenue now telling us that America now needs a convenience food to substitute for a convenience food? Is that what we mean by redeeming the time?
***
In the tempestuous ocean of time and toil there are islands of stillness where [we] may enter a harbor and reclaim [our] dignity. The sabbath is the island, the port, the place of detachment from the practical and attachment to the spirit. Rushing hither and thither time becomes soiled and degraded; the sabbath is the opportunity to cleanse time.
-- Abraham Heschel
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
Roman Catholic
Proverbs 9:1-6
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
Episcopal
Proverbs 9:1-6
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:53-59
Theme For The Day
God calls us to wisely use the time we have been given.
Old Testament Lesson
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Solomon's Prayer For Wisdom
After a long and noteworthy reign, David, the greatest of Israel's kings, finally "sleeps with his ancestors" (2:10). Solomon ascends the throne, "and his kingdom was firmly established" (v. 12). The lectionary jumps ahead to chapter 3, to Solomon's solemn prayer for wisdom as he takes up the kingly responsibilities for which he has prepared for all his life. The Lord appears to Solomon in a dream, inviting him to "Ask what I should give you" (3:5b). Solomon asks for "an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil" (v. 9). This answer "pleases the Lord" (v. 10). Expressing admiration that Solomon did not ask for riches or long life or victory over his enemies, but for wisdom, God promises to give Solomon what he asks: "Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you" (v. 12). Yet, even though Solomon did not request riches and honor, God will give them to him anyway: "no other king shall compare with you" (v. 13).
Alternate Old Testament Lesson
Proverbs 9:1-6
Come To Wisdom's Feast!
In this, one of many poetic passages in Proverbs that personifies wisdom in female form, Wisdom invites passersby into her house for a sumptuous feast. She sends her serving girls out into the streets, calling, "You that are simple, turn in here!" (v. 4). "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight" (v. 5). Divine wisdom, in the way of thinking of Proverbs, is a feast. Those who dine at Wisdom's table are not only sustained by what they consume, but are also delighted at the rich fare.
New Testament Lesson
Ephesians 5:15-20
Wise Living
In last week's lectionary selection, we heard advice about how to become "imitators of God, a beloved children" (v. 1). Miscellaneous ethical instructions follow, providing more detail about what this means. Here, in verses 15-16, these instructions continue with an appeal to wise living: to "[make] the most of the time, because the days are evil." The Greek word translated "making the most of the time," eksagorazomenoi, is a fascinating compound word of commercial origin, that literally means something similar to "buying wisely in the marketplace" (the word agora, or "marketplace," is visible within it). Wisdom, in this sense, is not so much a matter of intellectual acumen as resourceful and righteous living. This includes avoiding drunkenness -- a common but self-destructive pastime in the pagan world -- being "filled with the Spirit" instead (v. 18). The passage concludes with a beautiful statement of how Christians are to worship, singing "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 20).
The Gospel
John 6:51-58
Feeding On The Bread Of Heaven
The first verse of this passage overlaps with the last one of the previous week's lectionary selection. Once again we hear Jesus' assertion, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven ..." (v. 51a). Continuing further, we learn that some of Jesus' adversaries have responded with the troubling question, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (v. 52). The question is perhaps not so much one that was raised by Jesus' contemporaries as one that is current in the Johannine church. It affords the opportunity for John to share some of his sacramental theology, with respect to the Lord's Supper. Partaking of the sacramental elements leads to eternal life (vv. 53-55). By partaking of the Lord's body and blood, his followers "abide" (meno) or dwell in him. The bread that Jesus gives is qualitatively different from that which the Israelites of old received in the wilderness: "the one who eats this bread will live forever" (v. 58b). Inasmuch as this passage clearly identifies the sacramental meal with the flesh of Jesus, it is possible that it speaks John's answer to the Docetists -- those who wanted nothing to do with the reality of Jesus' crucifixion, and possibly abstained from the Lord's table as a result. John is clearly asserting, in response, that nourishment from this spiritual food is essential for survival, in the difficult between-times before the Lord's return.
Preaching Possibilities
The advice from Ephesians 5:15, "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time," is a wisdom teaching. Perhaps in conjunction with the Proverbs Old Testament Lesson, it can provide an excellent opportunity for introducing the biblical ideal of wisdom as not so much a matter of intellectual erudition as a common-sense ideal.
Wisdom. From time immemorial people have sought it -- and, for nearly as long, they have been hoodwinked by those who claim to offer it bottled, for convenient consumption. The story is told of one intrepid wisdom-seeker, who climbed to the top of a mountain, and found sitting there the storied wise, old man. "What is the meaning of life?" the traveller asked, as soon as he'd caught his breath.
"Do you mean the breakfast cereal, the board game, or the magazine?" the old man replied. Beware of those claiming to offer wisdom.
That is, unless it's the Bible that makes that claim. In the pages of scripture, we find a very different ideal of wisdom. Far from being something dark and mysterious, a whispered mantra from an eastern mystic, the Bible's idea of wisdom is down-to-earth and practical. It's very similar, in fact, to what we would call "common sense."
Just look at 1 Kings, chapter 3. Solomon, upon receiving the crown of his father, David, prays to the Lord for wisdom. What he desires is not the esoteric secrets of the ages, but merely the clarity of mind to decide judicial cases that are brought before him. The Lord, impressed that Solomon isn't asking for long life or fabulous riches, grants him the discerning mind he craves -- and throws in long life and riches to boot.
Or, take a look at the book of Proverbs -- that compendium of wisdom reputed to have been compiled by King Solomon himself. You can't get more practical than Proverbs. Here are just a few of the wise sayings of this little book -- sayings that have become bywords for our culture:
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
-- Proverbs 15:1
Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
-- Proverbs 16:18
Here's one that perhaps ought to be posted on the wall of every hospital room:
A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.
-- Proverbs 17:22
And what if this one were posted in every corporate boardroom in America?
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
-- Proverbs 22:1
These are not the inscrutable secrets of the ages; they are homey, everyday, common-sense wisdom. Chapter 9 of Proverbs likens wisdom to the hostess at a banquet: when she invites you in, you will not only be nourished, but delighted at the elegant simplicity of the fare she serves.
"Be careful then how you live," says today's Ephesians passage, "not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time...." Then the author goes on to point out what he means by "wise" living: not getting drunk with wine; wives submitting themselves to their husbands; husbands submitting themselves to their wives; children obeying their parents.
Now these may not sound like rare and privileged secrets -- but that's not the point. Ephesians doesn't see wisdom as something you have to seek in the rarified air of a guru's mountaintop hideaway, or in an Ivy League lecture hall; no, it has to do with the stuff of everyday life, the faithful living of these days.
When the author writes about "careful" living, he's using a Greek expression that literally means, "be careful how accurately you walk." Wisdom, this letter is saying, has more to do with our ability to place one foot in front of the other, day after day, than it does our acquaintance with Plato, or Einstein, or Freud, or any other great human mind.
It's about living carefully. Now in the popular imagination, being careful is much the same as being cautious. A "careful" person, as most people use the word, is one who's hesitant to explore the new and different -- who's fearful of the unknown. Yet, "be careful how you live," in this passage, does not mean "be cautious." Rather, it means to "be care-full," filled with caring for others and for the world: "walking the walk" of the Christian, not just "talking the talk."
The final portion of the sermon text advises us to "make the most of the time." "Be careful then how you live," Paul says, "not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil." Literally, the Greek means "redeem the time" -- and that's the way some may remember it, from some older translations.
This isn't a first-century treatise on time management -- but it is an observation that our lives float in a sea of time. How we choose to act changes the very quality of time itself. Ordinary time may be transformed -- by graceful, loving actions -- into God's time.
The Greek word for "redeem" is the same word that's used to describe the buying of a person out of slavery. In a certain way of looking at it, we enslave time, by the ways we choose to use it (or misuse it). By living carefully and wisely, we buy time back from its bondage to futility and decay. We make it fruitful; we claim it for God's purposes.
Prayer For The Day
Lord, help us to go forth from this place care-fully: attuned in caring concern to the needs of our neighbors, our community, our world. Help us to go forth wisely: not distracted by the minutiae of human knowledge, but seeking with clear head and clear eye your will for our lives. Help us to go forth eager to redeem the time: reclaiming each hour for holy purposes. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
To Illustrate
Once there was a world-famous guru, who claimed thousands of disciples. His followers desired nothing more than to spend a few moments in his presence. The favored few lived close to their teacher and hung upon his every word. Others were less fortunate: they had to gather on the porch of his home. Then there was another group, that spilled out into the road -- eager to hear even the secondhand teachings of the great man, repeated by those who had heard him.
The day finally arrived when the great sage lay dying. The three groups waited with eager anticipation for his final words of wisdom. The disciples of the inner circle, those in the teacher's very bedroom, begged him, "Dear teacher, give us your dying words of wisdom."
The guru looked up to the heavens for a moment, then turned to them and answered, "Life ... is like a river."
The disciples on the porch asked, leaning in the windows, "What did he say? What did he say?"
The nearest disciple repeated, "Life ... is like a river."
The followers out on the road heard the commotion, and begged those on the porch, "What did he say? What did he say?"
They repeated, "Life ... is like a river." And the word spread, from one disciple to another.
Everyone nodded gravely at these words of wisdom -- until one of the outermost disciples, at the very fringes of the crowd, asked aloud, "Life is like a river? What on earth does he mean by that?"
And so the question passed back through the crowd, from one disciple to another, until it came to the inner circle. The guru's most trusted retainer leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Life is like a river -- what does that mean?"
The great sage struggled to lift his head from the pillow, then beckoned as if he had something to say. His number-one man leaned down, inclining his ear to catch the slightest whisper. Then came the reply: "Okay. So maybe life isn't like a river!"
***
There's a story from the Jewish tradition, about a famous rabbi and his friends, who had spent an entire morning at manual labor, far from their village. The work was difficult and dirty. At lunchtime his friends brought a pail of water, so their teacher could wash his hands thoroughly, fulfilling the ritual law.
To their surprise, he used only a few drops. How could it be that their wise and pious teacher would avoid the command to wash his hands thoroughly before eating? Cautiously, one of the students asked, "Rabbi, you used so little water. It was not nearly enough to get your hands clean."
Wordlessly, the rabbi pointed to a servant girl walking up the road from the well. Across her shoulders was a yoke, with a heavy jar of water dangling from each end. "How could I do my washing at the expense of this poor girl?" the rabbi asked. "The water I save may prevent one trip to the well for her."
That -- and not narrow-minded observance of the law -- is truly "care-ful living."
***
A few years ago, a television commercial introduced a new convenience food product: a "breakfast bar." The commercial showed a family doing what families so often do, early in the morning: rushing to get out the door. Dad was all set to leave for work, the kids were slinging schoolbags over their shoulders, Mom was trying to make sense of it all -- and they all sort of collided, there in the kitchen. There it was, a second or two of family togetherness before the craziness of the day began in earnest. It would have been nice if they'd had time for breakfast, but there was no time for breakfast. Must meet minimal nutritional needs ...
Mom to the rescue! She turned to each of her family in turn, and tossed them a breakfast bar: a little concoction of two layers of cold cereal, with some white substance resembling milk in between. And there -- through some kind of television magic -- floating in the air over each person's head was a bowl of cold cereal: kind of like the tongues of fire on Pentecost. The message was clear: Your family may not have time for a nice, nutritious bowl of cold cereal, but you can give them all the vitamins and minerals they need by stuffing a breakfast bar in their mouths on the way out the door.
But wait a minute. Isn't cold cereal supposed to be a convenience food? Is Madison Avenue now telling us that America now needs a convenience food to substitute for a convenience food? Is that what we mean by redeeming the time?
***
In the tempestuous ocean of time and toil there are islands of stillness where [we] may enter a harbor and reclaim [our] dignity. The sabbath is the island, the port, the place of detachment from the practical and attachment to the spirit. Rushing hither and thither time becomes soiled and degraded; the sabbath is the opportunity to cleanse time.
-- Abraham Heschel
