The Sabbath

I'm currently reading a book about a priest who leaves church for a secular job.  She writes:-

"If my first lost upon leaving church was my regular Sunday job, then my first gain was the Sabbath." 

- Barbara Brown Taylor

She talks about how inconceivable it was for her to not 'work' on her off day. She had to pay the bills, do the laundry and a whole list of other things. I can relate to that. Yet long ago, Jews with many children and aged parents managed to observe the Sabbath and kept it holy. 

I think that nobody really takes the Sabbath seriously nowadays. That includes me. Pastors preach about it, we read about it in the bible, we discuss about it and we pray about it.  But we don't practise it.

On our 'Sabbath' day, we have a whole list of 'things-to-do' like repairing the sink, grocery shopping, washing the car and countless other activities. Churches have extra events and meetings on a Sunday and public holidays. Volunteers come in to serve in church for hours on their Sabbath day.

If God rested on the Sabbath, what makes us think that we don't need rest? I think that the lack of Sabbath observance in our lives today has resulted in many defeated Christian lives. The truth is I don't know how to observe the Sabbath in my hectic daily routine, but I know I have to do it!

I feel that if Christian leaders take the Sabbath seriously, they must not only practise it, but allow and teach their sheep to practise it too.  After all, Christianity is not all about working for God, its about a relationship with a loving Father and getting to know Him through His Word and His awesome creation. 

Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.  Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work - you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it. Exodus 20:8-11