We are created by God to rest. As we build a world that is being defined more and more by how much we do, by how busy we are and by how long we can go without sleep or a day off, this simple truth becomes more critical for us to remember. Nature’s rhythms as well as the inclination of our own hearts and minds are oriented towards renewal. Whether by energy supplements or good old-fashioned stubbornness, we ignore such impulses towards rest at our own peril.

Contrary to our perceptions, the call to rest is not the call to do nothing. Throughout the work of creation, God declares that, “It is good!” Creation is finished—perfected if you will—with the setting apart of a day to celebrate, to reflect and to be renewed by God’s delight for the work of His hands.

While we chase after the tyranny of the urgent, the Lord of all Creation beckons us to slow down and enjoy what is in front of us. If we persist that we do not have time or that we will rest when we are finished, we betray our lack of understanding of what the Sabbath is. The emergence of the Sabbath is God’s gift of sacred time—a taste of the eternal in the midst of our tendency towards “the daily grind.” All of goodness of creation is fused into a day of rest, an expression of peace and joy. Six days of “It is good!” becomes the 7th day of “Life is good!”

God’s invitation is a gift but it is also a command. As we move this week to the pages of Deuteronomy, we are called to remember that the observance of the Sabbath is part of the Ten Commandments. Through Moses, God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments as the building blocks of the Torah—the law, the way, the direction for living life as God intended. Apparently, keeping the Sabbath is an essential part of that foundation.

• But what does it mean to keep the Sabbath?

• Is there more to keeping the Sabbath than rest—than just focusing on oneself?

• What does the call to worship have to do with the call to rest?

• What if I work on Sunday—is keeping the Sabbath about the day or something more?

• Didn’t Jesus abolish the requirements of the Law on the cross—so isn’t “keeping the Sabbath” irrelevant today?

Watch as we seek to answer these and other questions as we probe deeper into God’s call to rest, relax and be recreated.

RESPOND TO THE MESSAGE
We invite you to visit our Facebook Fan Page and share your thoughts.