The leisurely and unforced rhythms of summer capture well the heart of Sabbath—the intentional practice of rest. So during these months let’s consider the spiritual habit of taking one day a week to stop from our work, and rest.
While discussions about Sabbath have a history of joy – sapping legalism, the practice is one of the more prophetic habits for Christians living today. In a 24/7 age with more pressure to perform and prove our worth in our jobs and fewer boundaries from the invasive reach of technology, the practice of Sabbath, as Walter Brueggemann notes, offers a form of resistance and a practical, alternative way.
Of course, Sabbath – keeping is technically not a spiritual discipline; it is a command. But it is a command that requires a certain practice, a spectrum of intention and habit that helps us to press the pause button.
Scripture gives a two – pronged rationale for Sabbath rest. In Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, the command is the same but the reasons for resting are very different: praying and playing.
Exodus 20 focuses on God and His creation, insisting on a God – created rhythm to life of work and rest. We work, and work hard, a good part of life and living. But then we rest. “Six days a week are for work, but the seventh day is a day of rest.” There’s an intriguing view of time at work here.
The illusion of our clocks and watches convinces us that all time is equal, simply a measurement. But scripture asserts there is a certain quality and cycle to time, including the grace – saturated rhythm of Sabbath. We enter Sabbath in the evening, beginning in rest—a reminder that this world is God’s own and our place in it is small. We then wake to a day not of our making, a Sabbath day that is a gift of sacred, rest – filled time, a “good – for – nothing” day to be frittered away with God, time beautifully wasted but never killed in the God – centred attentiveness of prayer.
The second biblical command comes from Deuteronomy 5, where we hear the same command but find a different motive for rest. “Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt …” (5:15). Our faith ancestors, the Hebrew people, went 400 years without a vacation. When all we do is work, we begin to regard ourselves and others only in terms of utility and productivity. We fail to see ourselves as human, unique image – bearing creations of God; instead, we become slaves, work – hands, or production equipment for constructing pyramids or manufacturing commodities.
We all know this isn’t merely an ancient malaise. Demanding economic systems and inner taskmasters still enslave. We so easily seek to validate our own worth through what we produce, justifying ourselves by our work, by our job, by what we do. While Exodus 20 tells us to rest to become attentive to and enjoy God, the Deuteronomy text calls us to rest to become attentive and enjoy others. The motivation here is very social; enjoy one another. While Exodus focuses us on prayerfulness with God, the Deuteronomy command focuses us on a playfulness with one another.
But we are surprisingly un – practised. We have been discipled by our distracted 24/7 culture so that it is very difficult to be still, to intentionally resist the demands of work. The truth is, we can’t do it by ourselves. We need help; we need each other if we’re going to make a go of this.
There’s a lovely example in the theatre district of New York City of how Sabbath can be a shared, communal practice. A Jewish theatre company was formed for Sabbath – observant Jews called 24/6. Cast members in 24/6 are not required to rehearse or perform on Friday nights or Saturday afternoons, freed up to pursue
both their faith convictions and their vocations.
Are we serious enough about our Sabbath – keeping to do something like that? To surround those in our faith community faced with tough challenges, providing creative solutions, even material support? Does that seem too radical or has our work taken too high a priority?
How about starting simple—gather a group to start talking about your current practice (or lack thereof) and explore alternatives. Consider preparing for Sabbath rest on Saturday night. Instead of a late night out, leaving us predisposed to take a rain check on corporate worship the next day, why not intentionally prepare to enter a sacred time of rest with a simple meal and a quiet evening? Plan ahead— how can you take care of the many household chores ahead of time? Invite friends out for lunch or a walk. Get together and get creative.
Pray and play, practising grace by working it into the fabric of our weekly rhythm.
Additional Reading:
- One Sabbath in September by David Webber
- Monday Sabbath, a poem by Roland De Vries
- Reclaiming Sabbath by Gwyneth Whilsmith
- You Don’t Need to Win the Lottery to Have an Endless Vacation by Kristine O’Brien
