The Wounds of Violating the Sabbath: Exodus 20:8-11 - First Week of Lent

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 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. (NRSV)

Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A have never been shy about their Christian beliefs.

In no greater way do they express their faith than by closing on Sundays. I love the sign on the front door of Hobby Lobby: “Closed Sundays to allow employees time for family and worship.” When you think about it, that’s a great quality-of-life benefit for employees—and one that has definite impact on the company’s bottom line. One could argue that it impacts the employee’s bottom line as well, particularly for part-time hourly workers who struggle to make ends meet.

In today’s world, keeping the Sabbath Day holy is an extremely complicated thing—and I don’t believe that strict legalism is the answer. You need to keep the Sabbath Day—but you need to feed your family. You want to keep the Sabbath Day—but you job requires you to work on Sunday. You should keep the Sabbath Day—but there are things to do that can’t wait another day. There is no commandment that is more difficult to translate into modern realities than this one.

One thing that that has always been true, however, is humanity’s need for Sabbath. God commands it because God knows we need it. God made us to need Sabbath. The fact that God created all things in six days and rested on the seventh demonstrates that Sabbath is just as vital to your well-being as air and water. Creation cannot flourish—and you cannot flourish—apart from your creator. Sabbath functions to ground all living things in their creator. Contrary to popular opinion and widespread belief, non-stop activity and achievement do not yield a healthy and meaningful life. Without Sabbath, you are malfunctioning human being. If you cannot be detached from something for a day or even an hour, you are bound to it. You are controlled by it

What are the wounds of violating the Sabbath? Don’t just look at all the empty and abandoned churches. Instead, look at how many lives are being destroyed by depression and anxiety. Look at how we ruin our bodies with junk food, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and sleeplessness. Look at how isolated we’ve become, lost in our own affairs, totally unaware of the people living twenty feet away. Look at how toxic our politics have become; convinced that life will be better if our tribe gets their way and the other tribe goes away. Look at how materialistic we’ve become, throwing away money and resources on stuff to make ourselves happy and feel important, while other people starve. Look at how much we’ve wrecked and desecrated God’s good creation.

What happens when a machine is pushed beyond its design limits? It fails. What happens when a human being operates beyond its design limits? It doesn’t just ruin itself; it spreads that ruin to others.

St. Augustine confessed to God, “Our hearts are restless until they find peace in You.” As long as you live apart from the one who creates and sustains life, you will never be at peace. This is why Sabbath-keeping is more than just fulfilling an obligation. It’s a fundamental necessity of life, just like food, clothing, and shelter; safety, security, and belonging.

If Sabbath is missing from your life, pray for God to give it to you—as you pray for your daily bread. This is one prayer God will definitely answer.

Sabbath is the gift of relationship, rooted in the promises and faithfulness of God. When you enter God’s Sabbath, the pressures of life are eased. Instead driving yourself mad trying to please everyone, you learn to accept your limitations and discover the gift of saying “no” to other people’s unrealistic expectations. Instead of scrambling to be somebody through success and achievement, you discover that you are somebody because Christ gave his life for you. Instead of pursuing quick fixes and cheap thrills, God gives you the peace that passes understanding. Instead of worrying, God’s faithfulness puts your soul at ease. The heart of Sabbath is the peace of faith that comes through trusting that God’s invisible hand is working in your life, and as each day passes, you will behold God’s works—if only you take the time to stop and give thanks…

Sabbath is the gift of God to share with others. There is no greater insecurity than that of loneliness; the belief (real or imagined) that no one’s there for you. That is not so when you are baptized into the Body of Christ. We have a direct role in giving God’s people rest from hunger, loneliness, rejection, and despair. We help each other to find meaning, purpose, security, and belonging. It’s a good and peaceful feeling when you know that when you’re in trouble, people will be there for you.

Finally, Sabbath is the gift of release from the destructive power of sin. When you forgive, God will give you rest from the people who’ve done you wrong. When you ask forgiveness, God will give you rest from guilt and shame. Sabbath is also a gift of repentance—when God frees you from the relentless demands of materialism, ambition, envy, and popularity. All you ever needed is all you already have in Jesus Christ.

Your heart will not rest until it rests in Jesus Christ. If Sabbath eludes you for any reason, you can ask God—because you’re not asking for something just you want. You’re asking God for what God wants for you. Without Sabbath, your soul is imprisoned. With God’s help, you and your neighbor can be at rest in the faithfulness and promises of God.