| Regent Redux

"Rethinking Sabbath" Abigail Harmon

“Sabbath is the most commanded commandments in the whole Bible, and the most ignored, [1] Eugene Peterson stated recently when musing on the topic. Why is this?

For a lot of us, the idea of Sabbath is foreign. Many of us grew up in a world in which taking a day off was considered lazy. Who am I if I am not “doing”? Isn’t the Sabbath an outdated notion? We don’t have time for Sabbath in our modern world. We feel guilty when we’re not being productive.

For others, the concept of Sabbath may be a legalistic one, one tied to Pharisaic law in which it was mandated that you cease all activity. Sabbath means you must take Sundays off because God said so. But since Jesus came to fulfill the law for us, why bother with it? Aren’t we freed from its burden now?

Both of these concepts of Sabbath feel irrelevant to us and to the wider culture. Indeed, as Regent College Professor of Biblical Studies Iain Provan noted, “The notion of Sabbath is not well understood, even among those who have heard about it and maybe even grew up with it, and both inside and outside the church it has received bad press.” [2]

Indeed, our lives are busy, and our non-stop consumer culture only perpetuates this pace. Stores are always open, lights are always flashing, and 60- to 70-hour workweeks are considered normal and even dignified. As Christians, our way of life often looks no different from the world’s. Peter Scazzero asks, “Why are so many Christians, along with the rest of our culture, frantic, exhausted, over-loaded, and hurried?” [3] We’ve all felt it with a friend, a family member, or a pastor: this person doesn’t have time for me. The glorification of busy eclipses the primacy of our relationships. When does something give?

It’s little wonder that in Scripture, God reminds his people so often of the truth of who they are and to “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). People are forgetful. In this vein, what if Sabbath is more than just a commandment to stop working? What if it is actually meant to fundamentally reorient our lives? The core spiritual issue around Sabbath is one of trust. When we take time away from our work, not just to stop but to actively enjoy the things we love, we establish and affirm that our lives and this world are the Lord’s. We remind ourselves again that we are not in control. We live into the reality that God originally created us not for toil and strain but for relationship with him.

Celebrating Sabbath now is a foretaste of feasting, resting, and being with Jesus in the New Creation. Join us as we explore Sabbath as a gift that can restore and reorient your life.

ENDNOTES

[1] Peterson, Eugene. Personal interview. 24 September 2013.

[2] Provan, Iain. “Was God Tired (Genesis 2:1-3)? Why Did He Have to Rest, and Why Does It Matter?” Abbey Summer School. Newhaven Church of Scotland, Edinburg. 24 July 2014. Lecture.

[3] Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006. 35. Print.

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