The Joy of Sabbath

Dear folks,

As we finish up the celebrations of Sabbath and head back into the self-denial of the weekday, I think it is good to mark two things. I will use my favorite author C.S. Lewis's words, for he says thing so much more eloquently than I.

"If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith." (italics added)

"In a sense the central story of my life is about nothing else... it is that of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again. Apart from that...it might almost equally well be called a particular kind of unhappiness or grief. But it is a kind we want... Joy is distinct not only from pleausre in general, but even from aesthetic pleasure. It must have the stab, the pang, the inconsolable longing." (italics added)

Samach (Joy) - to brighten up, be blithe or gleesome. Samach usually refers to a spontaneous emotion or extreme happiness which is expressed in some visible manner. It does not normally represent an abiding state of well-being or feeling.
Kacaph (Longing)- means "to long for" in the sense of "to be pale by reason of longing"

The first quote is to say: it is ok to want what is good and enjoy it. We do NOT practice self-denial or sacrifice in order to be miserable. We practice it to give more room for God to work in us. And though we give something up, we must not let it stay empty - or Satan will come back to fill it with something even worse (see the parable of the unclean spirit Luke 11:24). If you have given up some kind of meal or entertainment, it can be helpful to fill it with time spent losing yourself in a project you enjoy or praying for others. Or if you have given up gossip or complaining, it is delightful to spend it coming up with things you are thankful for or thinking up genuine compliments for others.


The second quote reveals that though we don't fast in order to be miserable, it often can produce a kind of "almost" misery. Fasting in whatever manner we have chosen, produces a hunger or desire within us. Most people who give up certain foods or all food for a time find themselves completely swamped with longing for food. In fact, they can't keep their minds from it. This is not something to despair at, but to rejoice in. Although we don't want to be obsessed with food forever, it reminds us of a deeper obsession for what is unseen. All of us long for something more. Sometimes we think we find it in people, music, beauty, experiences, places etc, but we always find ourselves disappointed on returning to whatever we thought the source of our joy and satisfaction was. This only proves we were created for another place. So our physical hunger causes stabs and pangs which mirror and remind us of the often painful longing for God's kingdom to come with all its wellness and wholeness. 

So I hope you enjoyed the goodness and fatness of Sunday reprieve (if you choose to give yourself that reprieve... which I think is wise), and take heart as you face the next week!

Love,
Katie