Seeking Lost Sabbath

When I was a child, Sunday was definitely a Sabbath. In the morning, we attended our church a few miles away. After a big Sunday dinner, we each relaxed in our own way. My mother did no laundry or cleaning; my father didn’t work in the fields or barn (although, as teachers, they may have prepared for the Monday classes). My brother and I played in the meadow, curled up with a book, and occasionally did homework. The “blue laws” still reigned in Pennsylvania so restaurants, shops and businesses were closed. Sometimes we played games together or visited with family or friends.

What I remember most about those Sundays was their openness and spaciousness. After church and Sunday dinner, we were usually free to do whatever we chose, whatever drew us. The leisurely meandering through the hours provided more than rest. It renewed us.

I’ve grown up, and the world has changed. The legal effort to impose Sabbath is gone, replaced by the modern weekend, two days overflowing with activities: sports events, social events, special weekend sales, and household tasks. Some people have no weekend. For me to shop, eat out, and be professionally entertained, somebody needs to work. Many manufacturing plants contain machinery that is never shut down, resulting in required weekend shifts. Internet technology permits many people to work from home, making it easy for work projects to stretch into every day of the week.

We’ve lost Sabbath. In the Genesis creation story, God surveyed creation and called it good, but God blessed the day of rest by calling it holy (Gen. 2:3). I also note the directive: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Ex. 20:8). This holy Sabbath of rest and renewal has been ambushed by the whirling kaleidoscope of life today.

We need to create a new Sabbath. Our culture won’t help us create a holy time; no new “blue laws” will dictate a set-aside day. The desire for a Sabbath must rise from within, from our deep hunger for rest and spaciousness in our lives. We must choose it.

Our new Sabbath will be different from my childhood Sundays. My Sabbath will be uniquely shaped for my life – just as yours will be shaped for your life. We can create a Sabbath time any day of the week. Perhaps it will be a full 24 hours or maybe just a few hours long. It will vary depending on work schedules and on children’s activities.

I believe there a few essentials for any Sabbath experience. Here are some basic guidelines:

1. Whatever “work” is, don’t do it. Consider carefully what activities are work for you. There are lots of tasks besides our formal jobs that help maintain our lives. If it is a task, set it aside. For example, I rarely bake bread, but I find joy in the scent of years and the rhythm of kneading. It isn’t work for me; it’s a Sabbath activity. On the other hand, financial record-keeping is a task for me; necessary, but it doesn’t provide a Sabbath renewal.
2. Be awake to the present sacred moment. Pause and notice the now. Be playful with your hours and allow yourself to waste time. This is often a challenge because we organize our lives by the clock. Sabbath means I take off my watch and lay it down. I find it easier to be open to the sacred present if I’ve also laid down the distractions of email, texting and social media!
3. Make an appointment with God. God’s schedule is quite open. The challenge is to put the appointment into our lives. If we literally enter the time into our calendars, we increase the chances we’ll honor it. What happens during that appointment may vary widely. You may go for a hike or a run; I may write in my journal or read. Experiencing the time as an “appointment with God” means we are open to the Divine Spirit, however it is present with us.
4. Rest. The Biblical story tells that God rested, and we humans have been created to need rest, too. How will you rest during your Sabbath?

I invite you to create a new Sabbath in your life and discover its power for renewal and refreshment. And may you be blessed by this holy time!