conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

Although I think you're saying some good things here, Tripp, I take issue with characterizing Advent as a "long sabbath."

Both Advent and Sabbath are disciplines, but they are different disciplines. Sabbath is not a preparatory discipline, but Advent is; conversely, Advent is not inherently restorative, but Sabbat ought to be. These distinctions are quite minute and fairly niggling, but I don't think it's helpful to look at Advent and Sabbath as similar in character but distinct in duration.

Another distinction I see between Advent and Sabbath is that in Advent I think it's important to see what we lack and how we, others, and our world might be transformed by God enfleshing Himself. Sabbath, on the other hand, is about valuing what we have already; Sabbath, properly practiced, knows no lack. Even the most modest meal —rice and beans, a fresh salad— becomes a feast on Sabbath, when we recognize how truly special even the littlest blessings are, and how wonderfully sufficient God and God's blessings are.

Ok, so I'm rambling. And I may not even be right, but this is what I thought when I read the end of your post.

Glad to see that Mike is back. And that you and Trish are back. All safe.

I too agree with a good bit of what you say in your posting.

But I'm going to call you on something:
By casting Sabbath as a "discipline," you're throwing into the category of WORK.

I can understand the temptation to do that. By making Sabbath into Work of some kind, you make it something you can be Proud of Doing, and Justify to the World You Live In.

But I deeply fear that that approach will just push you further down the path towards burnout. It will take you in the opposite of the direction you've said you wanted to go.

Sabbath is not Work. Sabbath is rest. Sabbath is rest. Sabbath is rest.

And this leads me to something that it might be fun to post simultaneously about: I bet that true rest (and therefore true Sabbath) is not the same for any two people on earth. How YOU rest is probably very different from how I rest, which will be different from how Jorge or Rich (either one) rests.

Jorge,

Yes and no. You see, if I do not allow for Advent and the preparation to be a sabbatical of sorts, then it will not get done. There will be no tree. There will be no dinner. I have to make time for Advent. I have to allow it to slow me down so that I may wait and prepare.

And this is immediately representative of Megan's challenge. I think I may not know how to rest. I agree, Megan, that a Sabbath is supposed to be restful. But, as it currently stands, Wayne has yet to provide a restful exercise. The exercises are, well, fulfilling. But they are works of a sort.

But Wayne has made it very clear that I am mistaken in this. Thus, I can only conclude that my life is restless. The drugs I take to ease my upper g.i. distress would support this interpretation.

lol.

Shitte.

That's interesting -- your response made me question why I do find Muller's exercises at least somewhat rest-inducing.

Two reasons come to mind. First, I find the actions restful because they permit/require me not to do nine other things at the same time, which is my usual modus operandi. Or at least, if I do indulge in some simultaneity (such as listening to music while I cook), it is *chosen,* and so it doesn't feel as chaotic as my life usually feels.

Second, I find the exercises restful because I feel protected from challenge about them. If anybody, and especially if my own inner taskmaster, takes me to task about why I'm lingering at the table (or whatever restful thing I'm doing), I can fall back on Muller's authority to defend myself. "I'm doing this because This Learned Person recommended it, not because I'm lazy!"

This leads me to another question. What constitutes rest, for you? What actually makes you feel rested? Not fulfilled, not anything else: rested?

Megan, that's a really good question. I am not sure. Well, there's a growing edge for me to explore. What makes me feel rested?

I just had a doctor's appointment today. I now have a prescription for some hight test antacids...and she was speaking of some melatonin inducing sleep meds if the insomnia keeps up. I clearly have gotten out of touch with what helps me to rest.

It used to be music and books. Now I read for a living and...well, and still sing for a living to some degree. The frustration of doing what I love is that what I love has become (enjoyable) work. I wonder if I can reclaim some of it for myself.

This is good. Thanks.

I have not konwn you very long, Tripp, but I get the impression that you're right: you may not know how to rest.

And, to respond to Megan side-wise, Sabbath can be a discipline without being work, in the sense of a discipline being something you hold yourself to. One of my students wrote a D'var Torah (exegesis) on Sabbath . . . I should post it here.

It sounds to me that what you need Advent to be is a discipline, but if you it helps you to think of it as Sabbath, you should call it that.

I read, write, and teach for a living myself, and I need to reclaim some of those things that I love so that I can remain sane.