This week we observe the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s hammer stroke heard ’round the world, a milestone in the broader Reformation movements that redefined the European landscape for centuries. While Luther’s concerns were theological, change came to many corners of the cultural world, even the sciences. Thus even a notable scientific journal like Nature is sharing a remembrance of Luther, albeit with the twist that maybe the emergence of Protestantism did not influence science so much as we might think.
[Read more…] about Science in Review: Reformation Comes to the Book of Nature
Martin Luther
Scholar’s Compass: Remembering Sabbath
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Exodus 20:8Â (NIV)
The spiritual rest which God especially intends in this commandment is that we not only cease from our labor and trade but much more—that we let God alone work in us and that in all our powers we do nothing of our own. –Martin Luther
Reflection
In Marva J. Dawn’s Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, she tells the story of a summer of graduate school in which she had to learn three new languages for her Ph.D. at the same time, and in one shortened summer session. She believed in keeping a Sabbath for rest and rejuvenation, but would she be able to keep it given the hectic demands of this season of her life? She decided she would keep Sabbath, even though she worked mostly 17 hour days on the other days. And during this demanding schedule, it rejuvenated her even more when she took a 24 hour break for time to commune with God and friends.
We live in an age in which production is cherished above nearly everything else in the workplace. How can we be counter-cultural in this day and age in which our work follows us with our smart-phones everywhere we go? One way is to keep a 24 hour Sabbath, which means not only ceasing to work, but ceasing to do any work (yard work, shopping, all kinds of work we don’t do the rest of the week), so we can truly rest and connect with God. Keeping a Sabbath means extended time with God, extended time with family or friends, extended time in a hobby that gives us life and rejuvenates us. It is a tangible way to demonstrate our faith in the Lord that he is in control of our work life and not us, and the he is gracing us with our production in our work and lives, not ourselves. After all, at any moment our ability to work could be taken away from us by loss of job, failing an exam, even injury. It is truly God who provides for us.
What practical steps can we take to keep a Sabbath?
- First, pick a day of the week or weekend in which you can keep a Sabbath.
- Turn off computers and cell phones during that time.
- Or, if you cannot turn off your phone, you can create a “Sabbath screen†on your smartphone that only has non-working apps on it. For example, a page that does not include your email app or “To do’s†app. Only access this screen on your phone during your Sabbath.
- Refuse to work during that time. If you work from home, refuse to go into your room where your office is, or where your desk is during your Sabbath.
- Don’t go do other non-office work during your Sabbath either (like yard-work), unless is it personally rejuvenating for you.
- Plan times with family and friends that are truly rejuvenating and not frenzied with preparation. For example, if friends are coming for a meal on your Sabbath, pick up some food that’s already prepared, or prepare the meal the day before.
- Spend extra time, unhurried time, with God. With no distractions, it will be easier to hear his voice, and easier to spend extra time in thanksgiving, thanking God for all he provides and does for you.
Questions
- What aspects of keeping the Sabbath as discussed here are new to you?
- How might being more intentional with your Sabbath bring you closer to God and rejuvenate you for the rest of your week?
Prayer
Lord, You have promised rest to those who come to You. Let us keep Your Sabbath today. Let it serve as a foundation of rest as we enter the week, and let it point us toward the Sabbath rest You have prepared for Your people. Give us refreshment and joy in this day and in the week to come. Amen.
Further Reading
Marva J. Dawn, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing Feasting. Eerdman’s Publishing: 1989.
Martin Luther, “Treatise on Good Works,†in The Christian in Society I, trans. W. A. Lambert, rev. James Atkinson, vol. 44 of Luther’s Works, gen. ed. Helmut T. Lehmann (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1966), p. 72. Qtd. in Dawn, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, p. 56.
Image courtesy of Simon Howden at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Christian Devotional Classics: Martin Luther
Introduction
Morning Blessing: I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. — The Small Catechism: Daily Prayers.
As you may remember, the final project for Christian Devotional Classics at Evangelical Seminary birthed this series. The student who presented on Martin Luther (1483-1546) and A Simple Way to Pray (. . . for Master Peter the Barber) (1535) began the class with a devotional including a Morning Blessing, a consideration of A Mighty Fortress is our God (more below), The Apostle’s Creed, and an Evening Blessing (at the end of the post). As an Emerging Scholars Network blog post, I apologize for only beginning to scratch the surface. I commend to you pieces by Christianity Today and the Christian Classics Ethereal Library as additional on-line resources. If you have recommendations, please share them in the comments section. Thank-you.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, to Hans and Margaret Luder in Eisleben, Germany. While Christopher Columbus was crossing the ocean blue and “finding the Americas” (1492) instead of a new trade route to East, Martin’s father was a miner. In 1497 Martin studied at a monastery in Madgdeburg connected with the Brethren of the Common Life Order. Many famous men had attended the school, including Erasmus (1466 – 1536), a future antagonist, and Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 – 1471), author of The Imitation of Christ — the focus of an earlier post. Due to the expense of this school, his parents transferred Martin to Eisenach. While in Eisenach, Martin was cared for by a woman in the community. In 1502 he received a Bachelor’s Degree from Erfurt and his father invested in Martin’s law education. [Read more…] about Christian Devotional Classics: Martin Luther
Best Christian Book of All Time: First Round Update
The first round has closed in the Theology & Apologetics and Christian Life & Discipleship brackets of our Best Christian Book of All Time tournament. Download the updated bracket for your office pools, and head to Facebook to vote for your choices for the Sweet Sixteen.
First Round Results
Theology & Apologetics
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (1) defeated On Loving God by Bernard of Clairvaux (16) by a score of 99-11. [Read more…] about Best Christian Book of All Time: First Round Update