The Sabbath
What does the Sabbath mean to us today? If we decided to observe the Sabbath what would that look like? Why do many of us not specifically set aside a Sabbath day? I’ll be the first to admit I do not know a lot about the concept. The word "Sabbath" even sounds out of place, and I am not sure how it is supposed to be practiced in our crazy, busy culture and age. I have this general idea that I should not work on Sundays, but I also have a feeling there is more to it than just not working at my Monday – Friday job. I also have a sense of tension between the freedom we know God allows us and the things He asks us to do.
Recently, I listened to a podcast by Rob Bell where he talked about how he began to observe the Sabbath about two years ago and it has revolutionized his life. He says the Sabbath is not something to be legalistic about, but rather is a gift to be savored. Taking a proper Sabbath energizes and restores us to wholeness in preparation for the next six days of the week. Personally, he found it extremely difficult to begin to refrain from business or busyness on his Sabbath, but that now it is a day he and his family look forward to.
I found his comments interesting, especially since this is a topic that has been on my mind the last several months. Mark Buchanan’s “Your God is Too Safe” is one of the best books I have read in the last few years and I was excited to hear he had a new book out. His new book is, “The Rest of God,” and I am told that it deals with the concept of the Sabbath. Hmmm...now that I know what it is about, I half want to read it, and half am afraid to read it. The concept came up again when my small group at work recently was going through the Life@Work curriculum, and we came across a quote that said something to the effect that it takes faith to observe the Sabbath. I have been thinking about that quote now for about two weeks. I think sometimes we think if we do not create our own opportunity for advancement it will never come. Sometimes going above and beyond and working all weekend is one way we see to get ahead. Ouch – I am reminded that if I am doing my part in being a good employee then I can trust God to do His part in making me as successful as He wants me to be.
I think another reason we do not take a Sabbath is because we do not understand the value of taking a break and renewing ourselves. I have heard a few people, who very intentionally take a Sabbath, talk about what observing the Sabbath does for them and it is obvious they feel it is a practice that adds immense value to their lives. Perhaps the rest of us are missing out on something?
Any thoughts out there in blog world? If you do, or were to, practice a Sabbath what would it be defined by? And, secondly, why do you, or why do you not observe the Sabbath?
posted by tricia @ 11:28 PM
2 Comments:
You asked: what would [sabbath] be defined by?
For me:
1) rest.
2) worship
For me getting rest without worship brings the temporal value of Sabbath without the spiritual... worship without rest brings the spiritual without the temporal... I am best when both are present, but I do better at worship than rest--to my undoing.
First, soldierswife91 said,
"...nowhere is church attendance ON THE SABBATH mentioned Biblically."
Perhaps not, but Luke 4:16 tells us that it was normal for Jesus to attend the synagogue on the Sabbath. And while technically the synagogue is not the same as the Church, the principles involved here seem to be that 1) Jesus' normal practice was that He would worship together with God's people on the Sabbath, and 2) that if we want to try to pattern our lives after Jesus, we might benefit from worshipping together with God's people on the Sabbath as well.
That being said, I don't think we should be legalistic about it, either. Is it the Sabbath Day specifically that we should observe as our day of rest, or will any one out of seven days do? For those of us who are pastors, only very rarely is Sunday our day of rest.
Personally, I try to take a day off once per week, and try to consider that day my "Sabbath-rest day". However, sorely missing in this for me is the corporate worship experience on that day, simply because not many people will take (for instance) a Thursday and set aside time during that day to meet together for worship. And if I were to try to personally organize this type of meeting--especially in the church--in the end it would probably lead to my simply working on my Sabbath in a way similar to how I currently work on Sunday.
So, as it currently stands, I try to get my corporate worship experience during Sundays, but because Sunday is generally the day I work the hardest, I try to get the "rest" aspect of the Sabbath on a different day of the week. It's not ideal, but it's the bast I can do.
--Pete Vecchi
(Sorry this posted as "Anonymous"--I can't remember my blogger username or password).
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