Next Sabbath, 14 December, is a significant day for us. It’s an opportunity for each of us to reflect on our personal health and the wellbeing of our family, church, and community.
The General Conference Health Ministries department, designates two Sabbaths a year (one in January and one in December) to focus on Health Ministries, encouraging regions worldwide to raise awareness of wellbeing.
Next Sabbath, 14 December, is a significant day for us. It’s an opportunity for each of us to reflect on our personal health and the wellbeing of our family, church, and community. Your participation is crucial to the success of this Health Ministries Sabbath.
Did you know that even when greeting someone, you are wishing them well in body, mind and spirit? This is most evident in the word Shalom, a concept we are exploring deeply during this Health Ministries Sabbath.
Shalom wellbeing
“The Hebrew word for peace, shalom (שׁלום) is derived from a root denoting wholeness or completeness, and its frame of reference throughout Jewish literature is bound up with the notion of shelemut, perfection.” https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shalom/
So, imagine greeting your church member with ‘Shalom’ next Sabbath, 14 December. What are you really saying? Doug Hershey, in his article – The True Meaning of Shalom*1 gives this explanation:
“In Israel today, when you greet someone or say goodbye, you say, Shalom. You are literally saying, ‘may you be full of wellbeing’ or ‘may health and prosperity be upon you.’”
Another way to explore shalom in a wellbeing context is by asking, “How are you?”
“In modern Hebrew, another common greeting is ‘ma shlom’kha’, which means ‘how are you?’ Yet, notice the word shalom in there. Quite literally, you are asking, ‘what is your completeness?’ or ‘how is your peace?’ It is yet another way to proclaim health and wholeness as you greet those around you.” https://firmisrael.org/learn/the-meaning-of-shalom/
How healthy are you?
To ascertain personal wellbeing, I have created and run a wellness workshop captioned ‘R U HEALTHY?’. I allow attendees to ask each other the question, “How are you?” and reflect on their personal wellbeing.
Using the word ‘healthy’ as an acronym – HEALTHY™ I developed various seminar segments in a whole-person approach to health as follows:
H – Health checks (health MOTs/ knowing your health statistics/health markers)
E – Exercise (age and gender-appropriate exercise)
A – Attitude (emotional health and resilience)
L – Liquids (hydration/beverage for wellbeing)
T – Taste buds (nutrition choices that help, harm or heal)
H – Home health (healthy living spaces including environmental impact)
Y – You (your lifestyle choices, work-life balance, stress management and spiritual nurture)
Are you experiencing ‘shalom’, a sense of wholeness in each of the identified HEALTHY™ segments listed above?
We can all improve in the diverse aspects of wellbeing to experience the completeness God intended for our lives.
Dr Zeno Charles-Marcell, General Conference (GC) Health Ministries Director, is leading our global church with a focus on Shalom, bringing wholeness to our lives. Our BUC Health Ministries department is working with Health Ministries leaders to embrace this new health focus.
You can visit the GC website to access all the resources to assist with whole-person health at GC Health Resources—Adventist Health Ministries. Additionally, to aid in health choices and understanding our wellbeing ethos, visit all the health guidelines and wellbeing statements reflective of our Adventist beliefs at GC Health Statements and Guidelines—Adventist Health Ministries.
These are helpful resources that you can utilise for Health Ministries Sabbath.
Shabbat Shalom
Author Hershey states: “The Hebrew word Shabbat comes from the Hebrew word Lishbot which means ‘to stop’ or the Hebrew word Lashevet which means ‘to sit’...The Lord knew that we would need to stop and to sit, on a weekly basis. Not for His sake but for ours!” https://firmisrael.org/learn/the-meaning-of-shalom/
Hershey further asserts:
“What if one day a week, we focused on not just a day of rest but a day of restoring our wholeness? What if we could completely refill our life tank in our bodies, hearts and minds weekly? That is what true shalom does if we allow it.”
Reflecting this theme is the restoration that shalom in Christ brings to our lives. Jason Soroski explains this in his article captioned: What Does Shalom Mean & Why Is It Important?*2 he writes:
“Through the work of Christ, the shalom that was lost in the garden has been restored and is again available to us today…it is a reassurance that his peace, his shalom, is real, present, and greater than anything the world has to offer.”
As you prepare for Health Ministries Sabbath, may you experience shalom in all its fullness – body, mind and spirit.
Shabbat Shalom!
*1 https://firmisrael.org/learn/the-meaning-of-shalom/
*2 https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-does-shalom-mean.html