Sabbath. 

I’m writing and posting this on Monday.  Yes, I know Monday isn’t the traditional Sabbath of Judaism or the Sabbath that most Christians identify.

But for some reason the idea of Sabbath came to me this morning.  Actually, the reason is that I don’t feel like posting anything and I was trying to justify it by declaring it a Sabbath—a day of rest. 

So, now that I’m inspired, I will desecrate my Sabbath and write a few thoughts down. 

I’ve already defined Sabbath by saying it’s a day of rest, which is one of the aspects of Sabbath.  But why?  The root of this aspect of Sabbath has to do with our work and how it can become god-like for us.  This notion of Sabbath arose from the experience of slavery endured by generations of Hebrews in Egypt.  Once they were free they were given the Ten Commandments, the traditional 4^th of which is keeping the Sabbath day holy—set apart.  It even explains that in the command—six days you shall work, but on the seventh you shall rest, just as God rested on the seventh day of creation.  Parenthetically, this also points to the purpose of work—it should be creative. Unfortunately, for many it isn’t, but that’s a different subject. 

Sabbath gives us time to breath, to set our eyes on things other than production or survival.  Sabbath gives us time to reconnect with God and others in a way that is holy—set apart.  Sabbath is sacred; and too little for most of us is sacred any more.  In truth, is there anything we consider sacred?  We may consider certain things set apart, but that is different than sacred.  Sacred is a space we reserve for things that offer a bridge for us, from daily life to some other place of spiritual refuge.  Some traditions have sacraments or sacred activities with sacred objects that are symbols of the bridge between our lives with all the suffering, hardship, fear, hopes, disappointments, and struggles to the divine and blessed and redemptive and liberating. 

I remember a meeting I was attending years ago during which one of the leaders handed out newsprint and paints and asked the participants to draw a circle and in that circle put something that represents one’s heart.  She described this endeavor in a variety of ways, trying to convey what it was she was intending, when finally this burly rancher dude from North Dakota said in a strong cowboy type-of-voice “You mean a sacrament, you want us to draw a sacrament?”  She grinned widely and said “yes.”

Books are written on the concept of Sabbath and it’s purpose as well as it’s benefits.  I won’t go into any of that here, but the subject is well-worth exploration—for those who don’t understand it as well as those who think they do. 

I would, however, like to offer some questions for you to ask.  Do you practice Sabbath intentionally?  This is more than going to church or not going to work.  Practicing implies conscious effort and engagement which is best done ritually, like lighting a candle the night before, saying a prayer to begin, singing a song or something of the sort—how do you draw a line between ordinary time and sacred time and cross it?  Once across that line, what does the Sabbath involve?  Remember that it’s sacred and it’s a substantially different pattern or character from the rest of your time.  Mowing the lawn or fixing the leaky faucet or heading to the lake or doing something else to fill their weekend may be how many people spend their leisure hours, but this isn’t the same thing as Sabbath.  In most periods of history there were holidays (holy-days) and there were Sabbaths.  There were no weekends or days off or vacations as we are accustomed to.  Sabbaths were the regular and weekly break from the routine of work, but they weren’t for shifting from one type of work to another.  They were for genuine, deep, substantive rest.  That’s perhaps why there are so many ritual laws that arose regarding what constitutes work—I know that for Orthodox Jews making a phone call (specifically pushing the buttons) has been determined as work—as well as a host of other things that require unusual effort to skirt around on the Sabbath.  I don’t think the purpose of the Sabbath or of Sabbath laws is to make us work harder in order to avoid work, but the idea is to set fences and boundaries that are reminders of the significance of the sacred nature of Sabbath and the liberation from toil that we are given. 

When was the last time you (or have you ever) practiced Sabbath?  How might you do so?

Lastly, as I’ve already mentioned, observing the Sabbath shouldn’t be a chore—that’s exactly what it isn’t about.  Remember that Jesus made this point when he was accused of breaking the Sabbath laws, he said "The Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath."  Sabbath is about standing in the grand and broad landscape of freedom and grace and meeting God again and breathing in the rich, wonderful aroma of love.  This is what fortifies us to face what we return to when the Sabbath ends.  The fringe benefit of this is that if we linger there long enough with God, the aroma of grace and love and liberty will follow us into our week where it will make a much needed difference.  Indeed, the most needed difference. 

© Stephen Carl