One of the first spiritual disciplines mentioned in the Bible is the Sabbath. What’s interesting about it is that it’s not mentioned because people do it, but because God does it! Immediately after God finished creating everything in Genesis chapter one, Genesis two tells us, “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:1-3).
God worked for six days and then rested for a day. God initiates the rhythm that we are then invited into. It’s almost as if it’s built into the fabric of creation. It’s no wonder then that God commands the people of Israel in the ten commandments to take a Sabbath. Exodus tells us, “for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11).
A day without to-do lists, work, stress, and production. A day to make space to be present and connect with God, ourselves, others, and the creation. This is why over and over Scripture says the Sabbath is holy. It’s an intentional day where we create space for the people and relationships that matter most.
God invites the people to follow God’s example and take a day of rest. A day without to-do lists, work, stress, and production. A day to make space to be present and connect with God, ourselves, others, and the creation. This is why over and over Scripture says the Sabbath is holy. It’s an intentional day where we create space for the people and relationships that matter most. On the Sabbath, we cease the race so that we can BE again. We can be here. We can be in the now.
The Addiction to Being Busy
What is the most common answer people give if you ask them how things have been going lately? I am willing to bet that “busy” is up there. We all have 24 hours in a day, yet it can feel like we are running non-stop with a million places to be, people to see, and tasks to be completed. The problem is, we weren’t created to BE like this. We are created to create and to work, or course, but our highest value and fulfillment doesn’t come from making more money, building our brand, gaining enough comfort, or having success. Truly, our deepest fulfillment and God-given desire is for relationship.
The thing is, relationships take time and work. And I don’t mean just with other people, I mean with God as well. Fundamentally, we are created in the image of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a community. We are created to be in relationship with this Triune God and with other people. When we become so busy, however, that we cannot take time to stop and truly invest in these relationships, we are going to suffer.
We are told repeatedly, however, that if we aren’t producing, climbing higher on the ladder, or growing our portfolio, we are somehow failing. The problem is, this philosophy simply hasn’t worked for people. We aren’t happier or more fulfilled, so we keep running. The invitation God offers us, right in the beginning of Scripture and all the way to the end, is to live a different way.
The problem is, we don’t believe God. We don’t believe we can put work down for a day, live without a list of things to be accomplished, or “waste” time simply being in the present moment. We have to ask ourselves, though, what do we call someone who says they can’t go without something? What do we call someone who says, “I can stop anytime I want to.” An addict. We are addicted to being busy and to production. God has always known, however, that we were created for more and for a different way of being.
When we become so busy, however, that we cannot take time to stop and truly invest in these relationships, we are going to suffer.
We begin to enter into that way of being when we take a Sabbath. When we can dedicate a full day every week to being present to God and others, to existing with people and things that bring us life and joy, and to simply being instead of doing.
We Aren’t God
I mean, think about it. The God of the universe took a Sabbath. God literally created everything and everyone you see, and God took a day off. Similarly, look at the life of Jesus. Jesus began his ministry later in his life and His Gospel ministry only lasted a few years. Yet, Jesus practiced the Sabbath and made intentional space for silence and solitude.
If we can’t take a day off, do you see what that communicates? It says we believe we are more important than God. Sure, the creator, sustainer, and savior of the world takes a Sabbath, but if I take a day off each week then everything will fall apart.
Yikes!
The Sabbath Rhythm
Once we can truly set apart a day, a space, to reconnect with what truly matters, we will find that our perspective begins to shift. This is part of the beauty of spiritual disciplines. They aren’t just about the time spent participating in the actual discipline. They end up impacting everything.
When it comes to the Sabbath, when we take space to be present and reconnect, we discover the world does continue going on without us. We discover that there are more important things than simply living to accomplish and we find rest, peace, and joy in God’s presence. While this may only impact us in the moment at first, the effects end up bleeding over into the other six days as well. We will find a perspective shift taking place under the surface and over time we realize that what we thought was so vital before may not be anymore. Things that used to upset us or cause us anxiety don’t as much anymore. We are spending even more time with God, the people, and activities that matter to us the most on “non-Sabbath” days.
The one day ends up affecting all of them.
It’s Not About a Law
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the Sabbath isn’t about following a law, it’s about an invitation. Both Jesus and Paul make it abundantly clear that doing something simply because God said so isn’t a recipe for true life. There are way too many ways to get around laws while still technically complying.
Take Jesus’ sermon on the mount for example. People were obeying the law of not murdering, but they were still hating people in their heart. Jesus said they were missing the point. Similarly, with the Sabbath, people were told not to do work. So what they did was create a set of rules that didn’t constitute “work” so that they could obey the Sabbath law but not really practice the Sabbath.
God is all about our heart. God is about our desires deep down and who we truly are, not just what we do because we think we can earn something. In light of this, it’s important to remember that the Sabbath isn’t about a list of things to do or a list of things not to do. Honestly, it’s more about not having list, which may sound like a list item but that’s besides the point.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the Sabbath isn’t about following a law, it’s about an invitation.
Truly, the invitation is to make space. It’s a day that interrupts our normally scheduled programming of running ragged so that we can root ourselves in God again. It’s a gift from God that we are invited to accept so that we can be fully human. It’s not about following a law but about discovering life to the fullest.
Your Practice
I’ll never forget living in Jerusalem when I was in college. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and extends to sundown on Saturday. You can guess what this meant for a college student living in Jerusalem on a Friday night. A ton of stuff was closed! I couldn’t get my favorite pizza, a bunch of the shops I enjoyed were closed, and there were parts of the city that were eerily quiet. They simply shut it all down and went home. On the busiest night of business for most normal stores, the Jewish people simply went home. That spoke volumes to me about priorities and what truly matters.
I don’t know what your daily or weekly rhythm looks like. What I do know, however, is what you seek you will find. What you aren’t looking for, what you don’t make intentional space for, you will miss. The Sabbath is an invitation from God to make intentional space every week to simply be. To grow in relationship with God and with others. To get in touch again with what you truly desire, with who you are.
The Sabbath is an amazing opportunity to practice the other spiritual disciplines such as meditation, prayer, Scripture reading, silence, solitude, Lectio Divina, and others in ways you maybe can’t the rest of the week.
It’s a blessing that was created for you.
Sisters and brothers, may you accept the invitation of the Sabbath. May you make space in your life to be here and now, putting aside the stuff of the other six days, and discover life to the fullest in God and with those around you.
Shabbat Shalom!
To listen to our discussion on the Sabbath and go even deeper, check out our podcast. You can listen on our site here and on iTunes here.
