How can Sabbath time help?
This week we are continuing our sermon series called Restart your life. We started the series talking about how to discover our purpose in life. Last week we talked a little about how to simplify our schedules. Today I’m going to talk some about Sabbath time and next week we are going to talk about how to get personal finances under control.
In undergrad, my degree was in kinesiology, which is the study of how the body moves. Many people who get this degree end up going into physical therapy school or doing sports medicine or sports training. A few of them become personal trainers and not very many of us end up in seminary but that’s neither here nor there. Because of what my degree was in, in college and in seminary I ended up as a personal trainer to many of my friends.
Many of them wanted to learn how to lift weights so I would show them the proper technique and would spot them when necessary. With just about every person, I have ever shown how to lift weights, at some point in the process I would find myself saying to them, “Breathe! Don’t forget to breathe!” And with that, they would exhale a huge breath, they didn’t even realize they were holding. It seems really simple, like how could you forget to breathe? But they were concentrating so hard, on all the other things they were supposed to do. They were thinking about holding their arms in the right position and keeping their shoulders in the right alignment and come up this far and down this far and don’t go too far to the left or the right and oh by the way don’t drop the weight on yourself. They were so focused on all the other things they had to do that they inadvertently forgot to breathe.
It seems silly and yet it’s something that almost all of us are guilty of doing. Life gets so busy, and we get so preoccupied with all of the things we need to do that sometimes we forget to do even the most basic things that sustain our life. John Wesley said that Sabbath time is like our spiritual respiration. Sabbath time, like breath, is what sustains our spiritual lives and keeps us filled with the Spirit. Just like we won’t last very long without breathing, our spiritual lives won’t last very long without Sabbath time.
Sabbath time is time that is set aside to God. It’s a time where we rest from working. But not all rest time is considered Sabbath time. Martin Luther noted that the drunk who’s passed out on the bathroom floor is not working but he’s certainly not keeping the Sabbath either.
So what exactly is the difference between any time off and Sabbath time? As we explore the difference, I think it would be helpful for us to explore the Jewish tradition of Sabbath. Jesus was a practicing Jew and he would have been familiar with the Jewish requirements for keeping the Sabbath.
In Judaism, there are several restrictions of things you are not to do on the Sabbath. First off, you are not to do any of your regular work because God rested on the seventh day. This includes working in the fields or working around the house and doing things like cooking, cleaning, mowing the grass, etc. The Sabbath and the probation on working, reminds us that our worth does not come from what we produce. We live in a society that tells us our worth is based on what we produce, the quality of what we produce and how much we produce. But God thinks otherwise. We have value, not because of what we produce but because we are made by God and God deemed all of creation good. Sabbath is a day to rediscover that our worth lies in who we are not what we do.
Not only are you supposed to rest from working but you are not to make anyone work on your behalf. The scripture that was read for us this morning says, “On [the Sabbath] you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or your daughter, nor your manservant or maid servant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.” In other words, you are not to force anyone to work on your behalf to get more work done. In Judaism today, this has led to a prohibition on commerce. You are not to go shopping or go out to eat on the Sabbath because that would require someone else to work on your behalf.
You are also not supposed to do any gardening or play a musical instrument. You are not to write anything down or draw anything. Basically, you are not to create anything because God rested from creating on the seventh day. Rabbi Harold Kushner puts it this way, “Sabbath rest is leaving the world alone.” When we stop interfering with the world we acknowledge that it is God’s world.
There are not only specific things that are prohibited for Jews on the Sabbath day, there are also some activities that are encouraged. One of the things that Jews are encouraged to do on the Sabbath is worship. That may be worshiping God together in community or worshiping God as an individual at home. This might include singing hymns or saying prayers. You might read scripture or sit in silent prayer. Worship on the Sabbath gives us an opportunity to be more aware of the presence of God in our lives and in the world.
Another thing that’s encouraged on the Sabbath is fellowship. It’s an opportunity to get together with other people to eat together and to talk with one another. When we set aside our to-do lists and stop trying to be productive every second of the day, we realize that we have time for people. Ceasing our normal routines helps us focus on people instead of tasks. We have time to actually listen to one another instead of just waiting for our turn to talk. The Sabbath is a day to remember that we were created to live in community and it’s an opportunity to truly experience that community in a way we don’t the other six days of the week.
All in all, the things that are prohibited on the Sabbath, and the things that are encouraged on the Sabbath both seek to accomplish the same thing. The Sabbath is designed to help us open our hearts to God.
So what does all of this mean for how we as Christians should keep the Sabbath? Does it mean that we have to adhere to all the restriction and regulations of a Jewish Sabbath? I don’t think so because Jesus didn’t do that. In the book of Mark, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees because the disciples were picking grain as they walked through a field. When asked about it, Jesus says the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Jesus also breaks the strict observance of Sabbath by healing a man on the Sabbath. It seems that Sabbath time for Jesus wasn’t about a strict observance of a certain set of rules.
Sabbath is intended to reorient us back to God. It’s intended to honor God and to refocus us on God. In her book Mudhouse Sabbath, Lauren Winner says, “In observing the Sabbath one is both giving a gift to God and imitating him.” And Scripture tells us to keep Sabbath Holy. Holy means set apart. It means different. So while, Jesus frees us from having strict rules to follow on the Sabbath, it should be a day that we spend differently than other days. It should be a day that orients us back to God.
What are the things you need to set aside to focus on God? At a bare minimum we should set aside our work. This means we shouldn’t go into the office. We shouldn’t check our email. We should turn off our pager and our blackberry. Yes, they do actually have an off button, and one day a week we should use it. If your work is around the home then you shouldn’t cook or clean. Don’t do laundry or go grocery shopping. If your work is school then don’t do homework. Now obviously, if this is going to work then we have to do some advance planning. If you’re not going to do homework on your Sabbath day then it needs to be done before then.
Maybe on the Sabbath day you need to lay aside shopping. The Sabbath can be a time for you to remember that your worth isn’t based on how much you produce OR how much you quire. Maybe you need to lay aside your ordinary routines on that day, so it is a day that is different and set apart for God. Don’t set an alarm and sleep late on the Sabbath. Now if you’re in the choir, Beckie probably wouldn’t be happy if you slept late. So maybe Sunday isn’t your Sabbath, maybe you need to set aside another day as your Sabbath.
Sabbath is a chance to lay aside all the things we so often focus on so we can remember to breathe, so we can spend time focusing on our spiritual respiration. Just like there are some things we need to stop doing, there are something we need to start doing on the Sabbath.
I think one of the things we need to do on the Sabbath is worship. This might be individually or as a community. If your Sabbath is on Sunday, you can come to church to worship. If your Sabbath is another day of the week then maybe that means listening to music or making a joyful noise to the Lord. Maybe that means reading scripture or sitting silently in prayer. Whatever way you worship, it should be included on your Sabbath day. Because worship helps to reorient us back to God.
Another thing that’s good for us to do on the Sabbath is play, recreation. Because recreation is re-creation. The things we do on the Sabbath shouldn’t feel like work. They should be fun and playful. It should be something that opens ourselves up to God to be re-created. Maybe for you that’s playing in the garden. Maybe that’s practicing an instrument or reading a book. Maybe it’s going on a hike or playing a game of football in the backyard with your family. Whatever it is, it should be something that opens you up and allows you to be created anew by God.
Another thing that’s good for us to do on the Sabbath is fellowship. One of the ways we experience God is through one another. Setting aside our regular tasks to make room for people can be an excellent way to open ourselves up to God. Maybe that’s eating a meal together or playing a game together. Maybe it’s something as ordinary as grocery shopping but it’s something you and your spouse turn into a sort of date together. We can fellowship in all sorts of different ways.
In the end, everyone’s Sabbath is going to look differently because we all connect with God in different ways. This sermon isn’t intended to put one more item on your to-do list. It’s not meant to add one more thing to your obligations and things you have to do.
Instead it’s intended to help you realize that we all need to breathe. Our spiritual lives can be so much more vital and healthy if we pause from our regular routines to intentionally breathe in the spirit of God. Not only will it help infuse our Sabbath time with God’s presence, it will help us be more open to the presence of God throughout the rest of the week. Life gets so busy but don’t forget to breathe!
Amen.
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