What is the Sabbath?
Sabbath.
The word brings other words to mind. Ancient. Outdated. Obsolete.
But I want to suggest that a Sabbath may be the most important concept you can introduce into your life in 2023.
My guess is that your life is filled with activities. You have work commitments, errands to run, kids to chauffeur, endless emails to answer, church activities to attend, fix up projects around the house, and so much more. It’s a never-ending stream of obligations. And the more you do, the more you need to do. As you run the treadmill of commitments, you worry more, your stress increases, and you find yourself tanking up on coffee to make it through the day.
You think to yourself. I need a break. And you do!
God calls the break you need the Sabbath. The word sabbath means “rest” or “stop.” God thought this rest was so necessary He included it in the Ten Commandments.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…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.”
God says life works best when we take one day every seven to sabbath. For most of us, Sunday is the most logical day to observe the Sabbath. But any day of the week can work. For example, when I served on a church staff and worked on Sunday, our Sabbath was Friday. The what is more important than the when.
What do we do on the Sabbath?
We REMOVE ourselves from work. We rest from the work (responsibilities and obligations) which occupy us the rest of the week. Just as sleep at night renews us, so resting from work one day a week rejuvenates our body, mind, and soul.
In our achievement culture many of us feel the pressure to produce. We will get more done if we work instead of resting. That may be true until we hit a wall. And there is always a wall! In the long run, you will be far more productive if you rest well. Silence your phone. Turn off your email. Remove.
We REJOICE in God. A Sabbath day gives us a special opportunity to rejoice in God. For many of us the focal point will be a church worship service. As we rejoice in God, we also reflect on God’s goodness, care, and provision. We are reminded that all we are and have comes from God. We take the time to give thanks and worship God. All of this has a wonderful way of putting the concerns of our life in right perspective. We recognize that God, our great God is in control and has our back. We can trust Him. Rejoice.
We REFRESH ourselves. The Sabbath is meant to be a day of refreshment, so as far as possible we want to do things which refresh us. Go to the park with your family. Read a good book. Play games with good friends. Snuggle with your spouse. Cook outside somewhere. Go climbing, riding a bike, take a walk, be quiet, reflecting on the Lord, get the guitar out and sing some old and new songs like my husband and I have fun doing. Just sit. The list is endless. Do what works for you. Let God be part of it with you to bless you! Refresh.
Remove. Rejoice. Refresh. Does this sound out of date? My guess is that for most of us it sounds relevant and life-giving. As I said, it may be the most important concept you introduce into your life this year.
Remember, too, the Renewing Life Center is here to participate with you in what matters to you, your family, your children. Just call 702-434-7290 if we can serve you as you do life.
Patricia Meye, M.Div., D.Min.