And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
And in Exodus 20:8: Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.
Keeping the Sabbath is so important that even God does it! So, why is it so hard for us to keep the Sabbath?
Susan and I walked our kindergartner Micah to the school bus one day. It was a warm morning and it was a delight to be walking as a family. Hannah was laughing and being distracted by sticks and flowers. When we arrived at the bus stop the other parents were gathered together talking and keeping watch of their kids. We loitered close enough to hear one parent complain/brag about the life their kindergartner led. We agreed later that we were shell shocked from what we heard. This young girl of six years was involved in dance, soccer, violin, tumbling, and an art program. As if that was not enough the mom threw in that they made it to church when they had the time. I noticed school was not mentioned in the litany of what took up this kid's time.
What are we doing to ourselves when we fill up all our time with busyness and do not take time for Sabbath?
Recently there was an article from Sweden about experimenting with the 6 hour work day. On one hand there were positive results in higher productivity with less mistakes. But when you read deeper into the experiment you discovered a troubling phenomenon. Many parents could not handle so much down time and began over scheduling their children.
We humans seem bent on self-destruction and God seems to know this about ourselves and calls us to task by insisting we honor a Sabbath day. Jesus ups the ante by saying:
"The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath..." (Mark 2:27).
The benefits for taking a Sabbath for yourself is manifold but the most central benefit is being released from what enslaves us. In the end this is really the central issue for us today. In what ways have you been enslaved? By keeping the Sabbath we are throwing off the shackles of busyness, the constant distraction of entertainment, the 24/7 fear machine, and the insistent voices that move us farther from God and the path of Christ (You can fill in what enslaves you, this list is by no means inclusive or correct for you).
The challenge for people of faith is to take seriously the practices of faith that God has taught us: Forgiveness, honoring the body, healing, dying well, hospitality and stewardship to name a few. Sabbath keeping is central to all of these practices of faith.
I can testify that when I take a true Sabbath, one where I schedule nothing, take time to read scripture, to pray for what needs to be prayed for, and relax, my life becomes one of balance and peace.
I encourage you to take an assessment of your time and the rhythms of your life. Figure out how you can honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy. God promises that when you keep the Sabbath you will become closer to your faith and good health.
To learn more about Sabbath keeping click here.
So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God's rest also cease from their labors as God did from his. (Hebrews 4:9-10)
