Remember the Sabbath Day?

Today, Saturday (this won’t upload until Monday at work because my apartment is slow to fix my internet access), is typically not referred to anymore as the Sabbath.  This has become part of the Western concept of the cycle of work because the beginning stories of the Bible record how early Hebrew people recounted the creation of the universe – and it ended with God resting and declaring that it was good.  So we get some time off at the end of the week.

I remember my small hometown would shut down on Sundays and all but roll up the streets.  As a little kid, Sunday after church we had to go straight home to eat or go to some family member’s house because there was nothing open, nowhere to eat, you couldn’t even buy a gallon of milk at the store because it was closed.  As a pre-teen, we started to eat after church at the Pizza Hut which had just opened.  It quickly became a tradition.  I remember the first time I was sent into the grocery store with money to buy milk after church.  I remember quizzically objecting, “Isn’t it closed on Sundays?”  Not anymore.  Nowadays, the only store I really want something from on Sundays is the only store that’s closed on Sundays – come on, why can’t I remember that Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuits are available on all days EXCEPT Sundays? 

My Bible study this week closed out with a reminder to take a Sabbath rest.  But taking a day off is easy.  Staying out of stores you need something from (or crave a chicken biscuit from) is difficult when you have the day off and others don’t.  The author of the study didn’t stop at challenging us to take a Sabbath rest – he challenged us to “reflect and celebrate” what the week has brought, what we have created, and who we are because of our created-ness.  The hard part of what he asked – that I will not be doing – was to stay home, require no work of someone else, and enjoy being with family. 

I had a friend in seminary who became Jewish, moved to L.A., and married a Rabbi all within a few months.  It was exciting to see her go on a journey toward expressing outwardly where she had already moved inwardly.  Her new Sabbath practices were instructive for me, too.  No turning on lights you didn’t need, no sweating, no walking/driving farther than a set limit, and spending a lot of time eating tasty food, talking with friends and family, and reflecting on the goodness of God.  I have to admit that the way it changed my perspective made me consider making the switch to the ancient side of the Good Book. 

Today, I plan to practice the second half of that list – the eating, talking and reflecting part.  But I am going to drive farther than prescribed to do that, and I am going to require that someone work to tear my movie ticket.  I might even require that someone work to listen to me complain about my lack of internet.  I hope to have my energy restored, to cultivate social connections, and to enjoy God’s creation along Farm to Market 485.  I hope to arrive back home tonight with a smile in my soul.  I think God would be pleased with that Sabbath practice.  I know I will be – now if only I could remember that Chick-Fil-A will be closed tomorrow…