Keeping the Sabbath Holy
Stories
Contents
“Keeping the Sabbath Holy” by Peter Andrew Smith
“Never Forget a Face” by Frank Ramirez
Keeping the Sabbath Holy
by Peter Andrew Smith
Mark 2:23--3:6
“That was an awesome Saturday afternoon.” John sat back on the park bench. “Are we still on for Monday night?”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Len said. “Are you finishing up that assignment for history class tomorrow?”
“Yeah. You done already?”
“I put the final touches on it before you called to go out.” Len glanced at his friend. “Did you hear about the homeless dinner at the church tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I saw the email.”
“I know you still aren’t sure about church but are you interested in helping out? We could use a few more hands serving.”
“I can’t.” John shook his head. “My grandmother is in town visiting with us.”
“So you’re spending the day with her?”
“I’ll spend some time with her but that’s not the reason. She’s a real old school Christian so my mom says I’m not allowed to do anything other than school work because its Sunday.”
Len tilted his head. “Huh?”
“Sunday is the sabbath so when Gran is visiting Mom doesn’t let us do anything.” John sighed. “That’s part of the reason that I’m not all that keen on church. Spending one day doing nothing and being bored is weird.”
“I’m not following you. Why would you not help the homeless out because it’s Sunday?”
“It’s one of the Ten Commandments.” John frowned. “Don’t they teach them in your church?”
“Of course we do but the commandment is to keep the sabbath holy. That’s why we gather for church and why we sometimes do other things like helping people on that day.”
“I do like the other people I have met from the church. Mom would never go fo it though. She is very insistant that we do nothing on Sunday to make Gran happy.”
“You told me that your Mom doesn’t go to church.”
“She doesn’t but she says we have to respect Gran’s beliefs.”
Len considered his friend for a few moments. “Call your grandmother and ask her if she would like to help at the dinner.”
“Huh?”
“Trust me on this one. Give her a call and say that I’ve invited both of you to help out at the homeless dinner and see what she says.”
John reluctantly pulled out his cellphone and dialed. “Hi Gran? My friend Len wanted to know if you could help out at his church’s dinner for the homeless tomorrow ... You realize that it is on Sunday ... Pardon? ... Really? Sure I can ask him if you like ... Yeah I’d like that too. Okay, bye.”
Len watched John put his cell phone away. “So what did you say?”
“She said she’d be thrilled and wants to cook some homeade bread if that’s okay.”
“Okay? That would be incredible!” Len said. “What was it that she wanted you to ask me?”
“She wanted to know what time church was in the morning and if I could drive her.”
“And?”
John looked at his friend. “Tell me something first. How did you know that Gran would be fine with this dinner on Sunday.”
“Honestly? Because I know she’s someone who goes to church.”
“But from everything Mom has said about church that means that Gran would be opposed to doing a homeless dinner on Sunday.”
“Hey, I like your mom but where church is concerned I think she has some things mixed up,” Len said. “As a follower of Jesus your grandmother knows that the Sabbath is made for us not us for the Sabbath. So we use the day to get closer to God not follow rules for the sake of following rules.”
John nodded. “You know what? Gran said pretty much the same thing and is thrilled your chruch is holding the dinner. I think her exact words were ‘What a great thing to do on the Lord’s Day.’”
“Your Grandmother is pretty wise.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“The church service is at 10:00.” Len fidgeted in his seat. “So are you going to tell me the other thing you agreed to on the phone or am I going to have to drag it out of you?”
“She asked me if I wanted to go with her to church in the morning.” John shuffled his feet. “And you know what? I think I would like to go.”
Len looked at his watch. “Then I better get you home to finish your paper.”
John frowned. “You’re not going to say you’re happy I’m coming to church with Gran?”
“I’m thrilled. Which is why I want you to get that paper done so you can actually follow through on what you’re saying.”
John glared at his friend and then laughed. “You know me too well.”
* * *
Never Forget a Face
by Frank Ramirez
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
O LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. … You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. (Psalm 139:1-2, 5)
Have you heard of people with prosopagnosia? This obscure term is coming more and more into common usage. It combines two Greek words -- the word for “face” and the word for “not knowing,” putting them together to describe a person who cannot tell one face apart from another.
There’s an online test for people to check if they’ve got a touch of this condition. Maybe we’ve probably all experienced this just a little when we meet someone like a doctor, nurse, teacher, police officer, or store clerk, in a setting different from the one we usually meet them in.
But those who truly have this condition don’t recognize the faces of their own children or their spouses. They simply are not able to look at a face and make any connection with people they’ve known from the past. That can even include not recognizing their own face in the mirror.
Now turn that around -- maybe you’ve heard people say, “I never forget a face.” Well, there really are people like that.
With a vengeance.
Now oddly enough this condition doesn’t have a fancy name constructed from ancient Greek. Instead, these people are sensibly called Super-Recognizers. Once they see a face they will always recognize it when they see it again. It doesn’t matter if a person has changed their hair style or color, grown or shaved off a beard or mustache, applied makeup, or jammed a hat down over their forehead. Super-Recognizers don’t forget a face.
The city of London has taken a step that may soon be emulated by other police forces. They have begun to seek out these Super-Recognizers, and created a special crime fighting unit, almost like one of those movies in which agencies seek out super heroes. Only this is really happening.
While London is prey to crime and terrorism like any other city in the world, it is unique in that there are over a million cameras constantly recording people as they come and go, on the streets, in public transportation, and inside buildings. The practice is simply accepted there.
So if a crime occurs, the odds are good that it has been recorded. But even if the authorities are able to spot the perpetrators, they also have the problem of identifying them. Who are they? If they can figure out who committed a crime, an arrest can follow.
That’s where the squad of Super-Recognizers come in. They are able to follow a suspected criminal by following the footage from one camera to another, always able to recognize the perpetrator wherever they travel, whether to work, home, or to meet with other criminals. They may also be able to match the face they see on surveillance videos with computer databases.
In 2014 a man who was assaulting women on public transit was filmed over and over again, but there was no pattern to his actions. A Super-Recognizer new recruit, an officer named Alison Young, was brought to a special office to look at more footage of the perpetrator but while it was being set up she stretched and looked out the window at endless lines of commuters who were emerging from an underground station and cried out to the others in the room that there he was! The officers ran after the man, arrested him, and prosecuted him successfully.
In Psalm 139 the songwriter sings about someone who can outdo even the best Super-Recognizer -- God knows us, and indeed, never forgets our face!
(Want to know more? See “The Detectives Who Never Forget a Face” by Patrick Radden Keefe in the August 22, 2016 issue of The New Yorker.)
*****************************************
StoryShare, June 3, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2018 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
“Keeping the Sabbath Holy” by Peter Andrew Smith
“Never Forget a Face” by Frank Ramirez
Keeping the Sabbath Holy
by Peter Andrew Smith
Mark 2:23--3:6
“That was an awesome Saturday afternoon.” John sat back on the park bench. “Are we still on for Monday night?”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Len said. “Are you finishing up that assignment for history class tomorrow?”
“Yeah. You done already?”
“I put the final touches on it before you called to go out.” Len glanced at his friend. “Did you hear about the homeless dinner at the church tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I saw the email.”
“I know you still aren’t sure about church but are you interested in helping out? We could use a few more hands serving.”
“I can’t.” John shook his head. “My grandmother is in town visiting with us.”
“So you’re spending the day with her?”
“I’ll spend some time with her but that’s not the reason. She’s a real old school Christian so my mom says I’m not allowed to do anything other than school work because its Sunday.”
Len tilted his head. “Huh?”
“Sunday is the sabbath so when Gran is visiting Mom doesn’t let us do anything.” John sighed. “That’s part of the reason that I’m not all that keen on church. Spending one day doing nothing and being bored is weird.”
“I’m not following you. Why would you not help the homeless out because it’s Sunday?”
“It’s one of the Ten Commandments.” John frowned. “Don’t they teach them in your church?”
“Of course we do but the commandment is to keep the sabbath holy. That’s why we gather for church and why we sometimes do other things like helping people on that day.”
“I do like the other people I have met from the church. Mom would never go fo it though. She is very insistant that we do nothing on Sunday to make Gran happy.”
“You told me that your Mom doesn’t go to church.”
“She doesn’t but she says we have to respect Gran’s beliefs.”
Len considered his friend for a few moments. “Call your grandmother and ask her if she would like to help at the dinner.”
“Huh?”
“Trust me on this one. Give her a call and say that I’ve invited both of you to help out at the homeless dinner and see what she says.”
John reluctantly pulled out his cellphone and dialed. “Hi Gran? My friend Len wanted to know if you could help out at his church’s dinner for the homeless tomorrow ... You realize that it is on Sunday ... Pardon? ... Really? Sure I can ask him if you like ... Yeah I’d like that too. Okay, bye.”
Len watched John put his cell phone away. “So what did you say?”
“She said she’d be thrilled and wants to cook some homeade bread if that’s okay.”
“Okay? That would be incredible!” Len said. “What was it that she wanted you to ask me?”
“She wanted to know what time church was in the morning and if I could drive her.”
“And?”
John looked at his friend. “Tell me something first. How did you know that Gran would be fine with this dinner on Sunday.”
“Honestly? Because I know she’s someone who goes to church.”
“But from everything Mom has said about church that means that Gran would be opposed to doing a homeless dinner on Sunday.”
“Hey, I like your mom but where church is concerned I think she has some things mixed up,” Len said. “As a follower of Jesus your grandmother knows that the Sabbath is made for us not us for the Sabbath. So we use the day to get closer to God not follow rules for the sake of following rules.”
John nodded. “You know what? Gran said pretty much the same thing and is thrilled your chruch is holding the dinner. I think her exact words were ‘What a great thing to do on the Lord’s Day.’”
“Your Grandmother is pretty wise.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“The church service is at 10:00.” Len fidgeted in his seat. “So are you going to tell me the other thing you agreed to on the phone or am I going to have to drag it out of you?”
“She asked me if I wanted to go with her to church in the morning.” John shuffled his feet. “And you know what? I think I would like to go.”
Len looked at his watch. “Then I better get you home to finish your paper.”
John frowned. “You’re not going to say you’re happy I’m coming to church with Gran?”
“I’m thrilled. Which is why I want you to get that paper done so you can actually follow through on what you’re saying.”
John glared at his friend and then laughed. “You know me too well.”
* * *
Never Forget a Face
by Frank Ramirez
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
O LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. … You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. (Psalm 139:1-2, 5)
Have you heard of people with prosopagnosia? This obscure term is coming more and more into common usage. It combines two Greek words -- the word for “face” and the word for “not knowing,” putting them together to describe a person who cannot tell one face apart from another.
There’s an online test for people to check if they’ve got a touch of this condition. Maybe we’ve probably all experienced this just a little when we meet someone like a doctor, nurse, teacher, police officer, or store clerk, in a setting different from the one we usually meet them in.
But those who truly have this condition don’t recognize the faces of their own children or their spouses. They simply are not able to look at a face and make any connection with people they’ve known from the past. That can even include not recognizing their own face in the mirror.
Now turn that around -- maybe you’ve heard people say, “I never forget a face.” Well, there really are people like that.
With a vengeance.
Now oddly enough this condition doesn’t have a fancy name constructed from ancient Greek. Instead, these people are sensibly called Super-Recognizers. Once they see a face they will always recognize it when they see it again. It doesn’t matter if a person has changed their hair style or color, grown or shaved off a beard or mustache, applied makeup, or jammed a hat down over their forehead. Super-Recognizers don’t forget a face.
The city of London has taken a step that may soon be emulated by other police forces. They have begun to seek out these Super-Recognizers, and created a special crime fighting unit, almost like one of those movies in which agencies seek out super heroes. Only this is really happening.
While London is prey to crime and terrorism like any other city in the world, it is unique in that there are over a million cameras constantly recording people as they come and go, on the streets, in public transportation, and inside buildings. The practice is simply accepted there.
So if a crime occurs, the odds are good that it has been recorded. But even if the authorities are able to spot the perpetrators, they also have the problem of identifying them. Who are they? If they can figure out who committed a crime, an arrest can follow.
That’s where the squad of Super-Recognizers come in. They are able to follow a suspected criminal by following the footage from one camera to another, always able to recognize the perpetrator wherever they travel, whether to work, home, or to meet with other criminals. They may also be able to match the face they see on surveillance videos with computer databases.
In 2014 a man who was assaulting women on public transit was filmed over and over again, but there was no pattern to his actions. A Super-Recognizer new recruit, an officer named Alison Young, was brought to a special office to look at more footage of the perpetrator but while it was being set up she stretched and looked out the window at endless lines of commuters who were emerging from an underground station and cried out to the others in the room that there he was! The officers ran after the man, arrested him, and prosecuted him successfully.
In Psalm 139 the songwriter sings about someone who can outdo even the best Super-Recognizer -- God knows us, and indeed, never forgets our face!
(Want to know more? See “The Detectives Who Never Forget a Face” by Patrick Radden Keefe in the August 22, 2016 issue of The New Yorker.)
*****************************************
StoryShare, June 3, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2018 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
