The issue of "Time" is of major importance to me since I already have more of my life behind me than before me. I want my time to be lived with quality and integrity. As a result, I've been giving a lot of thought and reading about Sabbath keeping. Here are some very practical convictions I am developing.

First of all, the Bible tells us much about Sabbath.

"Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don't do any work…not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; He rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; He set it apart as a holy day."
Exodus 20: 8-11 The Message

Modern life has made relentless activity the sign of vitality, but an invigorating life does not become ours from the outside in. A life full of busyness rarely satisfies. We ask ourselves, "What gives me energy?" "Where do I find myself being refreshed?" I am discovering that an invigorating life comes from the inside out.

What do we mean by Sabbath? Eugene Peterson's insights on Sabbath are helpful. He suggests that Sabbath means to quit. Stop. Take a break. The word itself has nothing devout or holy in it. It is a word about time, denoting the non-use of it. Another definition of Sabbath is 'to stop, to cease.' It is a word about work. Sabbath is a stop day!

Knowing what we do about God's intention in Sabbath rest, Marva Dawn suggests some ways to observe it: by ceasing, resting, and embracing. Ceasing is essential to Sabbath rest. In ceasing we get quiet enough within to remember that God is in charge of our life and our world. Our sinful sense of indispensability slowly drops away as we sink into a cushion of stillness. To cease work is to honor God. We put away work materials, prepare Sunday meals on Saturday, and cease productivity. We cease being anxious or tense by taking a walk, going outside, or remembering Paul's words to us, "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." Phil. 4: 6-8 The Message We can choose to cease buying and selling. Decide not to shop…not even for groceries. Stay away from malls or markets. Do something you don't do weekdays, take a nap, sit in the swing, soak in your tub. By breaking your routine your body can be refreshed. Above all, for clergy types, schedule no meetings!

Resting is a part of keeping Sabbath. When we rest our bodies are restored. A study concerning rest was made at the University of Arizona. The study revealed that the human biological clock operates on a 25 hour cycle. To defy that rhythm is to risk suffering from insomnia or sleepiness, hormonal imbalance, fatigue, and irritability. Rest can be more effective if we simply go around our homes turning off machines: CDs, TVs, washing machines, computers, and telephone ringers. To create a period of time when our home is quiet is to help quiet our spirits. It is in the silence we begin to find emotional rest. The silence offers us time to think, to discover ourselves, to concentrate on God's lordship.

Embracing is another aspect of keeping Sabbath. We can choose to follow Paul's admonition in Ephesians 5 when he writes, "Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents." Here is a wonderful opportunity to soak in God's Word noting what God does and how God accomplishes work. What is amazing is that giving time to stillness and silence does not isolate us from others, but compels us outward toward others with God's seeking love! We realize that the journey inward always leads outward! Here is an ideal time to write a note, make a call, or just lift someone up in prayer.

And lastly, embrace the blessing of God not only for yourself, but on behalf of others. We have the privilege and delight of blessing others as we ourselves have been blessed by Sabbath rest.

Let me share a rendering of the Twenty-third Psalm which seems to overcome the useless burdens of self-importance and excessive busyness.

The Nuns' Twenty-Third Psalm
The Lord is my pace-setter, I shall not rush.
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals;
He provides me with images of stillness, which restore my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency through calmness of mind.
And His guidance is peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day,
I will not fret, for His presence is here.
His timelessness, his all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity
By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquility.
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruit of my hours for
I shall walk in the place of my Lord and dwell in His house forever.
From Guide My Feet,
Marian Wright Edelman

 

 

Helpful Reading:
Catch Your Breath by Don Postema CRC Publications, 1997
Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rest by Wayne Muller Bantam Books, 1999
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva Dawn Eerdmens Pub. 1989