Sabbath

up:: Spiritual Disciplines God works, so we work. God rests, so we rest.

The Hebrew “shabat” means to “stop” or “cease” but can also be translated as to “be complete” or “celebrate”.

A blessed, life-giving time

In the Creation account three things are blessed: Humans – “be fruitful and multiply”, Animals – “be fruitful and multiply” and then the Sabbath.

That means the Sabbath has a unique life-giving capacity. Life is tiring.

A holy time

In the Creation account God also called the Sabbath “holy”.

This is unique. Usually spaces were called holy: A mountain, a temple, a shrine. Islam has Mecca, Hinduism the Ganges, Paganism Stonehenge.

God on the other hand says he is found in the world of time. That is why Giving attention is giving authority.

On the Sabbath, we savor the world of time. We slow down, take a deep breath, and drink it all in.

A gift to thrive interwoven in Creation

Transclude of Exod-16#29

==—29==

The Sabbath is the way the creator has set up Creation to thrive.

Not keeping the Sabbath is not a sin. It’s just stupid (John Mark Comer’s words).

A time to rest and to worship

You can even rest to the glory of God.

When you enjoy the world as God intended … it calls attention to the Creator’s presence and beauty all around us. And when you do all that in a spirit of gratitude, letting the goodness of your world and life conjure up and awareness of God and a love for him, then rest becomes worship. – Garden City

Sabbath is a way to say “Enough!”

In 11 Moses reminds Israel to rest because God rested.

In 15 he urges them to keep the Sabbath because God saved them from slavery.

Why would you remind slaves not to go back into slavery?

Because work has such a pull. We work more and have more than ever before and still we are emotionally miserable. The Tower of Babel illustrates our temptation to look to work for identity and significance.

Sabbath is a way of breaking our addiction to accomplishment and consumption. We can say no to the “tyranny of the urgent” and find significance without accomplishing anything.

Like God called Jesus his “beloved son”, even before he entered into ministry.

It is saying no to the Egypt-like slavery/cheap-labour-based capitalistic system of consumption that we enjoy the fruits of.

The first day that humans experienced was one of rest

After God created humans, he rested. So the first day that humans experienced was one of rest.