Sacred Strides: Sabbath as a Command, a Practice, and a GiftSample

DAY 2: What Works for You?

When I talk about Sabbath, I do mean a whole day. I get that taking a half day or cutting work off early can feel Sabbath-like, but those references need an origin. And the origin of that Sabbath-y feeling you might get while driving away from your job at two fifteen instead of five thirty is that you and I are designed and commanded by God to set aside a full day on our calendar every week.

I also notice how hyper-religious people in Scripture regularly had problems with how Jesus behaved on the Sabbath. And I don’t think the heart of the matter was poked at with questions like “Can I work on the Sabbath?” Instead, I think the way Jesus disappointed people’s cultural expectations of Sabbath behavior drew out a better question:

“What works for you?”

When I talk about Sabbath, I hold in mind the striking moment in which a group of Pharisees jumped all over Jesus’ disciples for picking heads of grain to eat because it was a Sabbath day. Jesus didn’t get into a long debate with them about the texts they might have been referring to or the interpretation of those texts. Instead, he told a story about someone else bending the rules because of their circumstances and then said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Far from questioning whether it was a commandment or whether it was important, Jesus made it abundantly clear that the Sabbath commandment is important because of what it means for God’s Beloved Ones.

Just like “Don’t kill one another” and “Don’t steal one another’s stuff” are commandments about ensuring you and I get to live more fully and freely, so it is with keeping the Sabbath. It’s not about getting it right; it’s about living fully in the Love and goodness of God.

Which leads me back to the question, “What works for you?” I think how your Sabbath is a conversation you get to have in kindness and care with people who know you and help you know yourself. It’s a question that has a lot to do with how you live and who you are, and what your preferences are, as well as your needs.

Respond

If you don’t routinely keep a Sabbath day, what are two ways you might begin incorporating one into your life rhythm?