Lent: Day 28

“Work for six days, and rest on the seventh.” – Exodus 23:12
“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10

While studying the Hebrew scripture in seminary, I read carefully for the first time as an adult the ten commandments. This is one of those scriptures that we are given in Sunday school and they vaguely hover around, feeling familiar. But I found that I knew them only vaguely. And I was particularly struck by my total carelessness, disregard and disobedience to the fourth Word: remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. Is it really on a par with “you shall not murder” and “have no other gods before the Lord your God?” In a culture and family life running wild with the busyness of jobs, school, sports, music and church commitments, is it really important to pay attention to this law?

Perhaps it is the very pressing demands of our hectic lives that requires us to observe the sabbath. What would keeping the sabbath and making it holy look like in a modern family? After serious deliberation and family discussion, for the period that I was in seminary our family kept Sunday as the sabbath. This meant that we attended church together on Sunday morning and that the rest of the day included none of our mundane obligations or regularly scheduled activities. This meant that we chose not to participate in sports teams, do homework, chores around the house, shop, take lessons, or attend church meetings on Sundays. There were some tough decisions at first: the good tutor who only worked on Sundays or the sports league with Sunday games or practices. And all of the work of family life still needed to be accomplished. But we learned to finish the work before Sunday or leave the loose ends until after dinner on Sunday evening, the official end of our sabbath celebration. And things began to change. There was time for a nap, or a pick up game of tennis and a bike ride in nice weather. There was time in the afternoon to read or play a game together. Observing the sabbath knitted our family together in a time when it was too easy to become distant from one another, and from the small, quiet voice of God.

Prayer: Creator God who makes us in your image. In six days you made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them. But you rested the seventh day, blessing the sabbath and consecrating it. In this time of deep reflection, renew our resolve to keep your sabbath day holy, to make a space to be in true communion with you and with one another. Amen.