Keep the Sabbath

There used to be a day when most everything closed. The stores closed. The movie theaters closed. I think the only thing that stayed open was Mother Nature and the places to eat Sunday dinner. Life seemed simpler, at least to many.

One day the business culture realized that there was a whole lotta money to be made on Sunday. But even then it was a gradual thing. The stores and theaters opened on the afternoon of Sunday. It did not seem to be that big a deal. The morning was left for resting and worship.

Finally all the bets were gone. Everything opened on every day except there are a few stores that still say, "We close on Sunday to allow our employees to worship with their families." Strangely enough, those businesses are doing well.

The keeping of the Sabbath is one of the "Big Ten" in God's list. Some of us know it as the Ten Commandments. They have been around as long as Moses. In fact, Moses was the one that gave the "Big Ten" to the world. It came after a time when God was convinced that the people of God needed clear directions in the basics of faithful living.

There are some that do nothing on the Sabbath except Sabbath stuff. Food is prepared before hand. Sabbath stuff is spending time with God, family, and resting. It is making sure that the big ticket items remain the big ticket items. There is a part of the Jewish faith that gives special recognition (God points?) to married couples that make love on Sabbath. It is also about going to worship with God's people---do not forget that!

Sabbath is God's way of saying, "All that other stuff will keep...."

Now as a preacher, I have always found myself working on Sundays. If you are about to say that old joke about preachers only working one day a week, I have one piece of advice for you: "Don't go there!" If it is only one day why does it take up the other six days as well. Most preachers have a hard time going through a single day without having to do some work.

So Sabbath is about resting. It is about meditating. It is about family time. It is the intentional act of letting God in care for your soul. For some of us it is Sabbath hours---which add up during the week if we are lucky to a day. For others it is the day that we disconnect from the computers, cell phones, and everything else just to be with God.

Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. We need that part of life that is holy--set apart. It is the holy that will claim us when all the rest of life is through with us. It is the holy that will give us directions when all the rest of life confuses us.

The loss of Sunday to the busy ness of the world can cost us more than we realize. It can confuse us into thinking that life is about doing. The truth of the matter is that life--real life--holy life--is more about being. Take time to be with God, your family, your friends. Worship. Rest.

Keep the Sabbath.