Washed in Time: An Invitation to Participation

Abstract

We find ourselves embroiled in political and cultural polarization, crises of environmental and social injustice, wars, technological change, and facing many other incredibly complex problems. Followers of Christ are meant to be a people oriented toward an eschatological hope that enables them to live according to God’s vision, bringing the Biblical concept of shalom into their historical moment in the midst of all these complexities. However, Christians today struggle to live out this hope. We find ourselves complicit in the chaos in a way that distorts our own understanding of God’s vision and loses sight of the invitation to participate in the abundant peace God offers us and the world. At its core, the Biblical concept of Sabbath rest offers a pattern of formation that can help reorient Christians to the reality of God’s vision and empower us to become agents of shalom. While the language of “Sabbath rest” can evoke images of stillness and calm, Sabbath is, in fact, active, not only for a moment, but throughout the movement of time. Looking at the history of the Sabbath and the gospel of John, this presentation will seek to connect what could become abstract ideas, namely Sabbath rest and the concept of time, with the visible actions of Jesus Christ and offer a vision for dynamic participation by the faithful in our cultural moment.