October 5 Ex. 20 Sabbath Commandment-We honor the 10 Commandments. When they appear in the readings, I think it wise to focus on one. this year, I decided on the sabbath. Many of us recall the old blue laws that enforced In churches the 10 Commandments were read before the Confession every week. Some folks thought that the church stood for thou shalt nots. At least a wing of the Presbyterian church took sabbath seriously indeed, as a time of rest but little in terms of recreation. For some, it appeared that we were being made for the sabbath requirements as Jesus said, not the sabbath for us. In a way, the sabbath command helps to hold the two tablets together, as it speaks of the holy and the rest human beings require. Let’s seize on that for a moment. How is sabbath made of us? Only slaves and Americans want to work constantly. Being willing to work hae rd is a mark of character for many of us.We may well equate work and living, not working in order to live.
Sabbath is about worship and rest. Our sleep cycle is a bit of sabbath. for one third of the day, we rest. somehow the world turns without us ph shing it forward. (See Muller quotes)
We need rest. We are not made to be machines that are constantly on. sabbath recharges our batteries as electronic devices require stations to recharge them. Sabbath seeks rhythm in life. I would suggest that maybe those of us who live more sedentary lives celebrate sabbath with getting some exercise. One faculty I think we should seek sabbath is that which burdens us. I used to ask the farmers in Indiana to take a sabbath from worrying about crop prices and the weather on Sunday. Our eldest daughter went to a Saturday evening to Sunday evening Sabbath time of not doing school work. For the socially conscious, i do think it a salutary advice to take a break from saving the world one day a week.
Since we emphasize work so much, retirement, an enforced social period of sabbath life is a challenge for many of us. i am haunted by the words of a retired pastor who said that he was OK financially through the pension system, but he had not given any thought with his retirement time. He had no clue how to enjoy the time now at his disposal. Even in retirement, people complain that they are busier and have a fuller calendar than when they were working.
Sabbath is about limitation. It limits time so we can get some time with our center, with god. it reminds us that we do not have all the time in the world. We will always have more to do, so we can stop at times, without being finished. Maybe we should take a sabbath from our wired lives. Sabbath is holy as it sets aside a special time an dplace for us.
when I go on the secular sabbath known as vacation, it is an extension of work as I have a list of things to do. Sabbath invites to us to a world of being ourselves with no fixed schedule, of being along with doing.
Sabbath is preparation for heaven., to be ourselves, to enjoy God and all god’s benefits. We live too much in crisis time, but sabbath is God’s time of resting in god. Sabbath and heaven allow us to be instruments of God’s presence and spirit. In its most ancient sense salvation means having plenty of elbow room in a safe secure place. sabbath is a prelude toward heaven’s salvation.
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