Liturgy: “Holy Week and Sabbath Rest”
Sabbath requires what philosophers call “contemplation;” it’s probably more helpful to think of it as genuine “leisure.” Both of these invite us to stop and reflect...
What is the King’s Liturgy? King’s Liturgy defines our experience together as a Christian community. It outlines the rhythms we celebrate with the Church at large: Scripture readings, Sabbath habits, and celebration of Holy Days and historical events.
This Week’s Lectionary Readings
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56
Psalm 31:9-16
This week’s liturgy is contributed by Dr. Joshua Kinlaw, Assistant Professor of History and Humanities:
Holy Week (and its readings) are intimidating. I suppose this is appropriate, given this is the weightiest week on the church calendar. There is so much here: a priest I admire wrote a three-hundred page book on Jesus’ last words. Yet Luke’s gospel is more than world-changing events. He combines theological profundity with historical details. Of the latter, the high priest’s severed ear is usually my favorite, but this year a different datum resonates: “On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.”
This is the final line of this week’s Gospel reading. The sentence always seemed like an addendum to the dramatic verses preceding it. It is understandably overshadowed by verses like “This is my body” or “Today you will be with me in paradise,” among many others. Nonetheless, I’m impressed by the fact that a central story of the Christian faith contains a sabbath reminder.
My current interest stems from my own experience at King’s this year. At last fall’s college Retreat, the theme was sabbath. It was a rewarding experience for me, but one of the main lessons I learned there was how difficult it is to slow down enough to allow for sabbath rest. I had already suspected King’s students, like so many of us, are too busy. This academic year (including conversations during my office hours) has only increased my appreciation of how hard it is to “observe the sabbath”—whether literally, on a Sunday, or figuratively in any given moment.
Like Christmas, Easter is easily overwhelmed by supposedly important tasks. Recently my wife and I found ourselves discussing Easter Sunday in terms of our obligations. While these responsibilities are completely understandable, I wonder whether approaching Holy Week with an eye on our shared Google calendar misses the point.
Sabbath requires what philosophers call “contemplation;” it’s probably more helpful to think of it as genuine “leisure.” Both of these invite us to stop and reflect—and there’s no better way to do that than allow these passages to affect our lives and our community this season.