Sabbath for Us—Not US for Sabbath

Hello weekend readers. I am musing on ‘sabbath’ – and the reason is: after listening to a podcast with pastors David Bowden and Mart Green who said: “We realized that many Christians view these practices as things God expects of us. He commands us to pray, fast, and give, expecting us to hit the mark. Failing to do these things, then, feels like we are letting God down. What’s the purpose of praying, fasting, solitude, giving, and all manner of what we might call good Christian practices?”

Like most of us who grew up in the church, there were “disciplines” and all kinds of them! My grandmother scolded us if we didn’t have a hat while in church; if we didn’t wear one, she would take her plethora of hankies, plop it on our heads and say “it is a sin for a woman without a covering on her head in church.” Where did that come from! Or on Friday you have to eat fish, or you must cross yourself going up to the altar…and so much more “disciplines.” So, let’s dive into this idea with a story with Jesus in Mark 2:23-28 [ERV] “On the Sabbath day, Jesus and his followers were walking through some grain fields. The followers picked some grain to eat. Some Pharisees said to Jesus, “Why are your followers doing this? It is against the law to pick grain on the Sabbath.” Jesus answered, “You have read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry and needed food. It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into God’s house and ate the bread that was offered to God. And the Law of Moses says that only priests can eat that bread. David also gave some of the bread to the people with him.” Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath day was made to help people. People were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord of every day, even the Sabbath.”

You see, the Pharisees had added additional provisions and instructions around Sabbath law, to ensure the faithful observe it properly. They had great regard for the practice of Sabbath and went to admirably pious lengths to make sure they did nothing to break it. For the Pharisees, the Sabbath was God’s standard and needed to be kept PERFECTLY! But Jesus turns their perception of this practice on its head telling them a truth we all need to hear. Jesus is saying to them and to us that the Sabbath is a gift for humans!

The Sabbath means rest, play, peace, trust and so much more. Taking a day to stop working  heals us and leads us into a deeper rest in God. Many people always thought that a thriving prayer life was something God expected us to do which we know we easily fell short of doing so and then we feel like we have failed. Just as God made the Sabbath for us it is the same with our prayers. But, like the Pharisees, we kind of settle into all these “disciplines” and when we fall short of doing that, we take on shame that God never wanted us to take on!

God did not make humanity to keep the Sabbath. He made the Sabbath to keep humanity. And get this: God does not need you to observe the Sabbath to show him how good you are. You need to observe the Sabbath to see how good God is! And about prayer? God did not need us to pray to show how good we are—He needs us to pray to see how good HE IS!

God is the one who walks through the gateways to intimacy, he says so in Revelation 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.”  

When we pray, God walks in, when we rest on Sabbath God meets us. God gives us his very self—HE IS THE GIFT! Being with him, knowing him, feeling treasured by God is exactly what God wants for us. It’s not a routine that if you fail you are wrong, it is a routine where the goodness of God is for you—always—24/7—and you can take that to the bank! AMEN.