Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. What does this mean for us? Martin Luther replies, “We are to fear and love God, so that we do neglect God’s Word and the preaching of it; but regard it as holy and gladly hear and learn it.” Sabbath is about keeping; keeping faith and keeping holy. Keeping is not just about obedience. If something is kept, it is treasured; as in a keepsake. When we hold something in our hearts we consider it to have value and worth. The Sabbath is meant to be kept. The Sabbath keeps us!
Notice that Luther does not say that Sabbath is a matter of respecting and honoring just a DAY. Technically speaking, Sabbath is the seventh day in the Jewish Week; sunset Friday night-sunset Saturday night. Sunday is not our Sabbath. Sunday is the Eighth Day; the first day of the week. Sunday is the Lord’s Day, wherein we celebrate resurrection. Sabbath keeping on a Sunday allows us to remember that we are in Christ a new creation; redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! 2010 is our Year of Sabbath at Mount Cross. Each Month Jessica is putting some Sabbath Reflections together for our newsletter (page 4). How is your Sabbath keeping going? Currently, as you know, I am on “jury duty” (Yea! Boo-Hiss?). Doug Bischoff met me after my orientation on Monday, April 19, and said, “This will be a bit of a Sabbath for you.” I entered jury duty reluctantly, but I was determined to see it as a gift from God and not just a burden or an intrusion in my busy schedule. I’ve served three days so far, collecting my $10.00 per day and spending most of it on lunch. I’ve learned much about the proceedings of our legal and judicial system; terribly inefficient. I’ve had a couple of close calls where I was almost chosen for a jury. What have I gained? I’ve read two books while I was waiting. One book, “Faith at the Edge,” was loaned to me by Ann Leighty. I’ll say more about this book at a later date. I met a young gal who graduated a year ago from Pacific Lutheran University. We had a nice visit. I also met and visited with a former member of Mount Cross, Arne Jensen. I enjoyed lunch one day with Roger Knapp at Bates College, and one day with Doug Bischoff. I began each day at about 8:30 a.m. and was released around 3:30 p.m. each afternoon. I was able to keep up with most of my parish duties in the evenings. I may need to report in again for jury duty next week, but for now I’m thanking God that I’ve got today and tomorrow off for playing catch-up. Sabbath keeping can be more than just a duty. It can be a delight. Attitude makes a difference. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy! Sabbath is primarily a matter of time and timing. Recently you received my congregational letter indicating that the church council has honored my request to postpone my Sabbatical. The letter indicates a handful of the reasons for this postponement. I am certainly available should you wish to discuss this matter more fully. I indicated in the letter that I still intend to enjoy and practice Sabbath with you during the year ahead. I thought you might be interested in knowing how I plan on spending some of my time away between now and December 31. Here’s a snippet: I’ve got four weeks of vacation, four weeks of continuing education and 4 additional Sundays available. I will be attending a class in Vancouver B.C. at the end of May with pastors Ralf Kalms and Mark Woldseth. The topic at Regent College is: “Leadership in Turbulent Times”. I will also be attending a class on “Retooling Greek” at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, at the end of June. I have a minor in Greek, but it’s time for me to sharpen my saw. I will be spending two weeks of continuing education in August, one at Lutherwood as a Resource Pastor, and one at a Theological Conference in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to this, I will have a weekend with my boys at the new Target Stadium in Minnesota (Twins versus Mariners). Yes I will be wearing my Joe Mauer Jersey. I will also be attending my niece’s high school graduation in June. Julie will be in Graduate School fulltime beginning in June, but we’ll have 2-3 weeks together for vacation before the year ends. One big priority for us will be attending our daughter’s “white coat ceremony” at Loyola Medical School (Chicago) at the end of August. Well there you have you; a small taste of how I intend to keep Sabbath and let Sabbath keep me in the months ahead. I hope you’ve got some plans for rest and renewal also. I’ll be away, but this I promise you: I’ll still be in church. I hope you will be too. I’m keeping you in my thoughts and prayers!
Pastor Dave Steffenson
Pastor's Corner 
