We are part of the creation story, subject to all its laws and rhythms. ~Wayne Muller
I flunk sabbath more often than not. I will work 24/7 if someone doesn’t hang a Closed For The Day sign around my neck.
Perhaps the Puritan work ethic still lingers in the New England water supply, and I drank my fill as a child.
It doesn’t help that I work out of my home–I see sticky notes wherever I turn. Even my sleep is ink-stained and thesaurus-haunted.
So, it’s easy to shrug off God’s emphatic command, “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), until I take a closer look at what God is saying:
Commandment #4: You have seven days in a week. Six are for getting your work done. One day is for rest–no work. This is the rhythm of life, composed at Creation, and you are a creature, remember?
Misunderstanding The Sabbath
There may be arrogance lurking behind my productivity–can the world still function if I stop? But something else makes me veer away from Sabbath-keeping: the legalism implied. Sabbath is about what you’re not allowed to do, and what you are required to do, right? Which makes “the day of rest” just another form of work.
Jesus encountered the same confusion, and got scolded more than once for not getting sabbath right. How did he respond?
The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath (Mark 2:27).
Recently I read Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Sacred Rhythms. In her chapter on sabbath I learned,
- Sabbath reminds us we are finite, our strength is limited, and only God can be all things to all people.
- The heart of sabbath is to cease work so we can rest and delight in God.
- What do you do on Sabbath? “Whatever delights and replenishes you.”
Sabbath Experiment
So, with some trepidation, I tried it. I took a whole day of a busy week, and said no to work. I stayed away from my computer, and read only for fun. I took a long walk, I played the piano and sang hymns, I called a family member just to chat. I smiled at God and let myself see him smile at me. By the time I took the dog for her evening walk I felt rested, at peace, my spirit reoriented to simply being, a creature enjoying my Creator.
The world did fine without me.
The next morning I got back to the piles, expecting to feel the pressure of backlog. But instead I felt refreshed, and the work-load no greater.
Time is elastic when we delight in the God who invented it.
How are you at sabbath-keeping? What replenishes your spirit?
Photograph by Melanie Hunt
