Exodus 20:8-11
The first word about the Sabbath day is to keep it holy. Then come the stipulations about resting from work, followed by the basis of the command from creation. I get the sense from this that the stipulations about not working are set as a condition for being able to keep it holy. Resting in itself is modelled after the Lord’s pattern, but something more on the part of the Lord himself seems to be suggested in the last sentence.
My take is that we don’t keep the Sabbath holy just by not working; it’s more that we don’t work in order to have the opportunity to do things specifically to honour the Lord. It is good to remember, along with this command, what we have just been commanded, to put God first, to shun idols. Sabbath rest and honouring of God sets the pattern for all of life, so it needs to be more than just non-activity. There is the specific activity of gathering to worship, learning, having fellowship and serving one another in our loving presence. That ought to set the tone for all of life.
Christians do this on the first day of the week because it is the Lord’s Day, the day of resurrection. Every Sunday is Easter Sunday, and therefore celebrates the new creation. Since the command is tied to God’s celebration of creation, the Lord’s Day version of the Sabbath has all the more reason to be full of joyful dedication and recommitment.
Prayer:
Lord, may yesterday’s praises become today’s actions. In Christ. Amen.
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1 comment:
last march we arrived in israel on shabbat. the hotel has a special elevator for observant jews, a shabbat elevator, which stops at every floor so that you don't have to press a button and thus operate (or work) a machine on shabbat.
i used to work (i.e., my professional job) often on sundays, but since renewing as a christian, i will only do so in an emergency. but i still like to garden or clean the house or do other work. a couple of sundays ago i helped a fellow parishoner with roofing her porch.
certainly, from wake up till after church, the whole first part of the day is devoted to worship of god. and like many of us, i strive to be mindful of god throughout the day. perhaps one day the entire day, and my entire life will be fully mindful of god in all that i think and all that i feel and all that i do. like learning to respect the environment, it's a gradient process.
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