space for the fundamental parts
A big piece of our journey toward wholeness this last year has been rediscovering the commandment of the Sabbath. I wanted to share these thoughts from The Very Reverend Peter Eaton on this "odd and unwordly custom":
What is Sabbath? It is, of course, time off work. It is therefore a declaration of freedom. In ancient society, just as today, most people are part of social, political, and economic structures that literally work people to death. The Sabbath is a rebellion against those structures.
The Sabbath proclaims that, although work is good in and of itself, and often provides, in addition to income, a sense of worth and dignity, we were created for more than work. And those other things for which we were created, like worship and relationships and creativity, lie more deeply at the heart of who we are than work does.
So the Sabbath becomes not so much a day or a time when things are "forbidden," like work, as it becomes a day or a time that guarantees space for the fundamental parts of our life: God and each other. This is why Jesus healed even on the Sabbath. Because the Sabbath is for all that means for wholeness. In our relationships with God and each other, and not in work, do we find our deepest meaning. So critical is the Sabbath to our well-being as persons that it is not a suggestion; it is a commandment.
The Sabbath is meant to be a "day trip to eternity," a reconnection to all in our lives that is of inestimable value and glory. Our rest is not just a concession to our weakness; it is our re-creation. Re-creation so that we may be co-creators with God of a world that is still to be made, and the making of which will demand all of our God-given talents and energy.
What is Sabbath? It is, of course, time off work. It is therefore a declaration of freedom. In ancient society, just as today, most people are part of social, political, and economic structures that literally work people to death. The Sabbath is a rebellion against those structures.
The Sabbath proclaims that, although work is good in and of itself, and often provides, in addition to income, a sense of worth and dignity, we were created for more than work. And those other things for which we were created, like worship and relationships and creativity, lie more deeply at the heart of who we are than work does.
So the Sabbath becomes not so much a day or a time when things are "forbidden," like work, as it becomes a day or a time that guarantees space for the fundamental parts of our life: God and each other. This is why Jesus healed even on the Sabbath. Because the Sabbath is for all that means for wholeness. In our relationships with God and each other, and not in work, do we find our deepest meaning. So critical is the Sabbath to our well-being as persons that it is not a suggestion; it is a commandment.
The Sabbath is meant to be a "day trip to eternity," a reconnection to all in our lives that is of inestimable value and glory. Our rest is not just a concession to our weakness; it is our re-creation. Re-creation so that we may be co-creators with God of a world that is still to be made, and the making of which will demand all of our God-given talents and energy.