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A Day Set Apart
In our ongoing series that focuses on spiritual practices, we'll take an extended look at just one practice: Sabbath keeping.
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In our ongoing series that focuses on spiritual practices, we'll take an extended look at just one practice: Sabbath keeping. Recently I spoke at a local church and the pastor stopped in to be, well, pastoral, I suppose. He asked about my topic, and I wasn't sure if he was interested or policing. So I told him the title was "Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life," and that the three focus areas of this retreat were slowing, simplicity and Sabbath-keeping. "Sabbath keeping," he repeated. "What's that?" Uh, obeying the fourth commandment, I thought—but did not say. "Well, um, keeping the Sabbath; taking a day of rest once a week," I said while feeling a little lame with that explanation. It's so much more. "Huh," he said, looking at me. He seemed to be waiting for further explanation. I resisted the urge to say I would mail him a CD of my talks. When a member of the clergy is unclear on what it means to obey one of the Ten Commandments, we're in trouble. Not just as ministry leaders, but as Christians. Let's face the truth: the Christian sub-culture is often a workaholic culture. And in some ways more insidious than Wall Street—because we're not just working for ourselves, we are working for God; so we become proud of our work-a-holism. But rationalizing our dysfunction doesn't make it healthy. So maybe you are someone in this culture that does not understand or place high value on rest. As a result, you only get to experience a part of God. As Mark Buchanan would say, in missing that Sabbath rest, you are missing the rest of God. These next few months, we're going to talk about what it means to Sabbath. To "Shabbat." To stop. To put aside all the work that never stops, and say, "Now I will rest, now I will enjoy God. Now I will only focus on two things: love God and love others." Just as he commanded. Let's look at how a typical Sabbath happened in our home—in very specific, practical terms. The Sabbath begins and ends at sundown. So now, as the Sunday night darkness gathers outside my windows, I reflect on the last twenty-four hours of rest, joy, service, and simply being. Sabbath begins at sunset. Why? From Genesis on, the Bible shows that sunset starts the Hebrew day. ("And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.") So Saturday evening, we begin our Shabbat by heading to God's house, first to serve. To follow Isaiah 58, which says Sabbath is not a day to go your own way but to go God's way. My family and I volunteer together, sitting on the floor with three-year-olds, telling them about Jesus. Laughing with them, dancing to Jesus songs, even coloring. All this happens while their parents worship upstairs. We are a part of the body in this simple task. Consider making part of your Sabbath about loving and serving others. |        
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