Text: Deuteronomy 5:12-15 O
bserve the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident foreigner in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your life-giving Word. Bless us with Your guidance, mercy and wisdom. Release us from every hurtful way, and show us how to take time to be with You, and to receive Your gifts. In Jesus Name, Amen.
"The bow that is always bent, will break." An old proverb that speaks a truth we know, but may not always respect. There is a time to work, and a time to rest. How wonderful it is, at the end of a day, to finally "unstring our bows", so to speak. The tension is relaxed, our bodies sigh with relief, and our spirits find peace.
But that's just fantasy, isn't it? We know that once your day's work is done, (or the night shift, if that's the case), we still have other things to attend to: Meals, cleaning, bills, letters, email, the garden, the pets, the children, the husband or wife, bowls or other sport, community commitments, church commitments... Is it possible to find peace in this frantic world?
"If you want something done, ask a busy person." This is a popular saying, but a dangerous one. Busy people may be well organised. They may have a lot of 'get-up-and-go'. They may be willing, hardworking, uncomplaining. But if they fail to observe proper limits, their days are numbered. Fatigue grows, sleep is eroded, stress increases, relationships suffer, anger and frustrations grow, and breakdowns happen.
We are all living on borrowed time. As sinners, we have forfeited the right to live.
God lets us live and continue our lives for one reason, and one reason only: that we might learn to know Him, and if we know Him, that we might help others know Him.
Last week we heard God's call to us, to receive His gift of time : A whole day, each week, is His gift to us. A day to celebrate our freedom from slavery, and to follow His pattern in creation. We are not to be slaves of work or anything. God created us to enjoy freedom. Freedom to just to be with Him, and with each other. Freedom from the desperate need to prove ourselves through what we do - because through Jesus this is not required. God has already accepted us. Jesus has done enough.
"Come to me," says our Lord. "Come to me, and I will give you rest." "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
Last week we heard that in the New Testament, we are not bound to observe this command in a strict way. Jesus tells us that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. He gives the sabbath its true meaning. Deep rest comes from Him. And from taking the time to rest in Him.
By God's authority, we are allowed to have a day off. In fact, He insists on it. Because we are now under His mercy and grace, He will not punish us for disobeying this command. Christ has taken away all our guilt. But He will allow our lives to become more and more difficult, so that finally we have no other option, than to fall at his feet, and receive from Him, the gift of rest. He will allow our work to become more and more difficult, so that we can't cope any more, on our own. Then He will call to us once again, saying, "Receive My gift to you: time to rest. Time to relax. Time to find peace, and love and joy, through My presence with you."
Any day is a good day to observe the sabbath, whether we use the whole day, or part of the day. However the guidance God gives in this command is that we do best to set aside a whole day. A whole day, to give our whole attention to Him.
Sunday is a good day, because we are usually able to gather together as fellow believers, and enjoy God's presence in a holy space, the space of the church building. It helps us to set aside the time to worship and rest in God's presence when we know there will be others there too. They can help and support us. They can remind us that it's good to take time to rest with God. They can remind us, just as we can remind them, that our lives depend on God's love. Our worth comes from Him alone, and not from our performance in work or in any other way. We do well to gather together regularly, to encourage each other.
This is something we need to decide to do. And then stick with our decision. As a family, we can say with Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." By setting apart a day each week, we get our priorities right. And we open ourselves up to further blessing from God.
If our doctor gives us a strict diet to follow, to help us overcome a serious medical condition, would we protest? Would we say, "it's too hard," and not even try? Slavery to work and busyness is a very serious and dangerous condition, undermining our relationships with God and others, and damaging our own selves. The aim of following doctors orders is - better health. This is God's gift for us, too, as we follow his gracious commands. Respect for God is the beginning of wisdom. Those who don't have time for God are simply not being wise.
If you have been too busy for God; if you sense that God is telling you something about your priorities, then come clean about it with God. His aim is to bring you peace, not to hassle you. Don't delay making this decision any longer. Decide that, whatever it takes, you will take time for God's Word. Decide to receive His gracious gift of rest, as far as it is possible. It's not wrong to be gentle with ourselves. It is wrong to abuse our bodies by pushing them too far, for too long. Maybe your work situation is desperate. You would like to take time for a Sabbath, but it just does not seem possible. The sabbath is not just a command: it is a gift.
God provided for His people, the rural people of Israel included, in former times. He hasn't changed. Trust Him. Ask Him to open the way for you, to make a sabbath possible for you.
How do we do it? It means saying many 'no's, so that we can say 'yes': 'Yes', to God, and 'yes' to what God wants to give us. This may mean we leave the TV off for a day - if this stops us focusing on God. It may mean saying 'No' to meetings, sport, and other activities, if they are going to stop us resting, and finding refreshment in God's love. Whatever it takes to protect time set apart for God, it is worth it!
So, what might we do, to observe this day?
We gladly come to worship. What for? To take time to receive. To receive God's Word, and enjoy His sacraments. Yes, we are allowed to enjoy our time in worship. Worship is about God serving us, and loving us, and bringing us peace.
So- as an aside, do we need to be uncomfortable? Do we need to make the service time uncomfortable for our children? We might like to think about our seating, and our worship spaces. The focus should always remain on God, and what He does among us, but we could welcome any ideas that might make our time together in church, more pleasant. Bring a cushion, if you like. Nothing wrong with that.
Sometimes our time with God in worship brings discomfort, when God's Word pricks our consciences, or calls us to change something. It's like an operation. Whoever heard of a patient getting off the operating table half way through the procedure? It's not just about information. It's time for meditation. Time for God's Spirit to search our hearts, and for the Word to renew our minds. Time to bring his peace deeper into our lives. We must not be quick to finish with our worship and devotions.
What else might we do to observe this day?
We might have uplifting music playing. We could just sleep. We can take time to be with other people, but without any pressure to 'do things'. We could take time to appreciate God's creation some more. Take a walk. Go for a drive. Play golf - if it's going to increase our peacefulness, not upset it!
We might prepare meals the day before, and leave the washing up to the day after. Whatever we do, the key is being restful, and focusing on God's Word, His love and His presence.
"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." God gives us time to receive the blessing of His Word. He gives us time to be renewed, time to gain fresh strength. Time to remember that we are no longer slaves, but loved children of God. Time to realise that we are worth much more than what our work, or our failures, might say. We are worth a lot to God.
So the decisions are ours to make, and our conclusions may be different. Let the final word for now come from Luther's little catechism:
Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
What does this mean for us?
"We are to keep in awe of God, and love Him, so that we do not ever despise God's Word and the preaching of it, but regard it as holy, and gladly hear and learn it. Amen.
The peace of God bless you and remain with you. Amen.
First command (God) | Second command (God's Name) | Third command-a (Sabbath, part 1) | Third command-b (Sabbath, part 2) | Fourth command (authority) | Fifth command (Life) | Sixth command (sexuality) | Seventh command (property)| Eighth command (reputation) | Ninth command (wanting things)| Tenth command (wanting people)| command against idolatry| 'What does God say of all these commands?'