Hi First Presbyterian Church,
It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I wanted to, first, let you know that it’s not too late to let me know if you’d like to join my new members class, which starts this Sunday (March 12) and continues the next two Sundays (March 19 and March 26). The class begins at 11:30am, and it’s a great opportunity to learn about our church.
Now to today's main message. On Wednesdays throughout the school year, our afterschool children's program called LOGOS happens. Right before dinner, I lead a brief Bible study with the parents whose kids come to LOGOS and, afterward, we all eat together. Recently, we’ve been looking at the topic of “Sabbath.” What does it mean to “keep the Sabbath?” In my view, keeping Sabbath is not just about observing religious rituals one day a week. Sabbath is a mindset. It is a principle we are meant to integrate into our whole lives.
Last week during the LOGOS parents Bible study, we talked about two things the scriptures teach us about Sabbath that I also want to share with you. As a society, we are often overworked, overcommitted and, as a result, exhausted. So, this is a timely message for us all.
Why are we told to practice Sabbath-keeping? In Genesis 1:3, we’re told, “God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that God had done in creation.” Again, in Exodus 20:8-11, we’re told, “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy… For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.” It seems the reason we’re told to rest is because God rested. The way people often think about the relationship between God’s rest and our rest is like this: “Surely, if God took a break, we should take a break, too.” However, I think that misses the point.
The Hebrew word used for “rest” can mean different things. Think of it like our English phrase “sit.” People can “sit” in many different ways. For example, if I say, “He was seated on the couch,” you would imagine someone taking a break. On the other hand, if I say, “She was seated on the throne,” you would imagine someone assuming a position of power. That’s the kind of rest God was taking in Genesis 1:3. God wasn’t sitting down to take a break. God was assuming the role of cosmic ruler sitting on the throne. So, here’s the logic of the Sabbath: you and I are meant to rest (in the sense of “take a break”) because God is resting on the throne (in the sense of “in charge of the universe.”)
Here’s what that means. Sabbath is about pushing pause on the rat race and unplugging from the hustle of life in order to remind ourselves that we limited control over our own lives. Even if we feel that continuing to work and hustle is necessary, observing Sabbath means taking a rest anyway. It means taking a deep breath and confessing: “God, you are ultimately in control, not me. I trust in you alone to meet my needs.”
Here’s the other thing the scriptures teach us about Sabbath: It is a gift, which means you don’t have to earn it.
Humans were always meant to work. According to Genesis 1, on the sixth day of creation, God made humans and immediately gave them a purpose to be fruitful and multiple and to care for and cultivate the land. But take a close look at Genesis 1:24-31. The sixth day ended before any human was able to do any work, which means the first full day for humanity was the Sabbath – a day of rest. Humans were given rest before they even had a chance to earn it. Rest is a gift of grace God has given us.
I encourage you to observe Sabbath this week. I hope that means worshipping with First Presbyterian Church on Sunday. But more than that, I hope you will find other ways to unplug and push pause on the busyness of your life in order to take a moment to breathe and remember that you are just a human. You don’t have to be in control of every part of your life, because the reality is you can’t be in control of every part of your life. Take a moment. Rest, and remember that God is in control.
Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron