Pastor’s Note
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” –Mark 2:27
These words of Christ have been taken in all kinds of ways. Some have abused them—taking the Sabbath (or “Lord’s Day” for us) “gift” and doing whatever they want, obliterating the fourth of the ten commandments: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter…. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.” (Exodus 20:8-11).
Others have understood this “gift” as necessary for our bodies—a kind of rhythm of work and rest that is beneficial, even required to function well. So they rightly seek to cease their normal labors, worship with the body of Christ, and rest. This is a good thing.
Still others have made the Lord’s Day into a well-defined list of legitimate and illegitimate activities. It’s not unusual for Teaching Elders (pastors) in our denomination to inform their presbytery that they believe the Westminster standards (Confession and Catechisms) are a little tight in their stance of no recreation. (In parts of Scotland to this day, there are stories of playgrounds being locked up to ensure that no one breaks the Sabbath by playing.) In response, they are often asked what recreation, then, do they believe permissible. Here’s what they are asking: “Are you saying that it’s okay to play in the back yard with your child” or “that it’s okay for your children to play in an organized sports league that has games on Sunday” or “that it’s okay to attend a sporting event like a professional football game where people will be required to work to provide you with recreation?” I don’t think Jesus would ask those questions. They miss the point. Like asking if it’s okay to cook on the Sabbath. My favorite response to that question comes from a friend at Southwood in a recent exchange about getting our families together for lunch on Sunday. He assured me that their oven has a Sabbath mode.
Perhaps the most insighftul take on Jesus’ words about the Sabbath comes from Dallas Willard: The Sabbath “is his gift to us, not a pointless hoop he would have us jump through. … It sets us free from bondage to our own efforts. … Very practically, Sabbath is simply ‘casting all your anxiety on him,’ to find that in actual fact ‘he cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7).” In other words, by resting on the seventh day instead of working, we are saying that ultimately it is not up to us but to God to provide for us. Consistently working seven days a week makes the opposite statement: “It’s all up to me.”
Our bodies and our souls need rest…and we need to learn to trust, not in our own efforts but in the efforts of the One who created us and gifts us with a day each week to remind us that “it’s not all up to us.” Take a break…each week. You’ll love it, and you’ll learn to believe God is who he says he is.