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A faithful presence of love in the absences of our city.

Sabbath: Insisting on Rest

sabbath

Picture a mythological hero - perhaps someone from classical mythology like Hercules, or if you prefer, a modern-day superhero from a popular movie. This person has been charged with a quest: to defeat evil, they must overcome a series of seemingly impossible challenges. Against all odds (or perhaps by cheating a little, depending on whom you’re picturing) the first few challenges have been beaten, and our hero steps up to the next one confident, flexing his muscles and grinning. And the challenge is revealed: “For the next 24 hours, I want you to sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself. Take a load off! Don’t worry about what you have left to accomplish.” Imagine the surprise, disbelief, and confusion. And yet the 4th of the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20 should shock us just as much. Amid all the “dos” and “don’ts” of the Law, God’s people were not just allowed but required to take an entire day each week for rest.

The idea of Sabbath is something I’ve struggled with over the years. Mostly, these struggles have revolved around what I should (and shouldn’t) be doing on Sunday. No work - okay, what exactly counts as “work”? I know for certain I’m not supposed to be out gathering sticks (Numbers 15:32-36) but it’s okay to pluck heads of grain to eat or rescue a sheep from a pit (Matthew 12:1-14). The Bible is strangely silent on the topic of Sunday afternoon naps and Sunday football games. Usually as I try to understand how to apply the Biblical guidelines in my own life, I’m left feeling vaguely guilty.

Gary’s sermon this week helped me to realize that I’ve been looking at this topic from the wrong perspective. The point of Sabbath as we find it in Scripture isn’t about all the things we do or don’t do - it’s about resting and delighting in God’s finished work. Think of it this way:

Suppose I decide I’m going to take this Sabbath stuff really seriously. I get up early on Sunday morning, read from a devotional guide while eating breakfast, and go to church early as a volunteer (dressed in my Sunday best, of course). I conscientiously take notes during the sermon, and at home after lunch (leftovers prepared the day before) I review my sermon notes while listening to my favorite Christian music. Later in the afternoon I meet up with some friends for prayer, and I finish up the day with several hours of Bible reading.

Did I keep the Sabbath? Perhaps. But perhaps not. Did I delight in God’s gift of rest? Did I rejoice in what God has accomplished, in creation and salvation? Or were my actions motivated by guilt and the desire to earn God’s favor? Was my day truly a day of rest, or did I spend much of it worrying about an upcoming deadline at work or the expensive home improvement project I’m dreading?

This reorientation of perspective almost seems too good to be true. Instead of making Sabbath-keeping into a checklist or spreadsheet, maybe I need to think of it more like planning a vacation. I’ve got 24 hours; how am I going to use them to receive God’s gifts to me? How will I delight in him this Sunday? How will I rest? The answers may not be the same for everyone, just as some people dream of a beach vacation, while others would rather go skiing, or go see Hamilton on Broadway, or explore the Louvre in Paris. Each of us is made by God to delight and rest in him differently. And yet by taking one day a week for rest, the very rhythm of our lives declares that we are God’s people, formed in his Image and secure in the work he has finished on our behalf.

~ Joanna Hinks