What is Sabbath?
The
Sabbath tradition connects people who observe it to God’s gift of rest, as
illustrated at the end of the seven-day creation cycle in Genesis 1. It also serves as a reminder of God’s
liberation. Israel had the opportunity
to rest because God had set them free from slavery in Egypt. We rest because human beings need to
rest. We rest because it honors God who
created time and space. We rest because
it is a gift to be able to rest.
How can I observe the
Sabbath?
Traditionally,
the Sabbath was a day set apart each week.
For Israel, the Sabbath lasts from sunset on Friday to sunset on
Saturday. This was a day for worship,
study and rest. Emergencies should be
handled. Livestock should be fed. No one else should be made to work so you can
rest. As Christians transitioned to
worship on Sunday, the Sabbath day for most Christians became Sunday.
If you
have never observed a full-day Sabbath, recognize that it takes work and
preparation. Household chores that might
have been done over the course of a weekend are done on a single day. Work-related emails and texts should be
handled ahead of time. These days, for a
real Sabbath, you probably need to turn off your phone and shutdown your
computer. You might also consider simply
taking a Sabbath from particular activities.
Perhaps you need to spend a day without screens, or a day without
commerce, or a day without chores. This
is not supposed to be the kind of fasting that some people do in Lent, giving
up something as a discipline. Sabbath is
giving up work to create space for something else, something new; the God who
dwells in peace and silence.
Although
it has a different feel, you might explore the Sabbath idea by creating Sabbath
spaces in your day. Can you create a
hour of Sabbath, a time that might be marked by the lighting of a candle in
acknowledgement of the presence of God?
A deliberate time of prayer and study or, if the body needs it, a simple
rest. Can you get outside for a
10-minute Sabbath walk, just taking all creation in?
My
favorite personal Sabbath practice is three, deep and prayerful breaths. Sometimes when too many ideas are flying
around or too many priorities are calling, it is helpful to stop where I am and
take three deep breaths to remind me that I am alive, that I am in God’s love,
that peace is already near.
Remember
that Sabbath is a gift. It is not
intended as a punishment but as a celebration of the God in whom we find peace,
rest and life itself.
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