Of course we are not talking about blue laws and the kind of Sabbath keeping that would have satisfied the Pharisees of old. We are talking about lives in which priority was given to the weekly assembly of the baptized around the Word and Table of the Lord. The priority given to time together in prayer and study of God's Word (or Sunday school). The priority was given to refreshing relationships with those who share the pews and a cup of coffee as well. The priority was given to family, together in Church and together at home. I know that this may sound like a dream or a flash back to another era, but the most important thing about Sabbath is how we value the time and the time we value enough for faith and family.
It seems like we struggle in this area more than ever. I am not complaining about people who go to Kroger instead of Church or who spend their day catching up on all the loose ends left from busy Mondays through Saturdays. I am speaking of the sense of loss we feel in lives far too busy and far too governed by commitments that make us feel we have no time at all. Could it be that even though we equate busy with happy, the reality is that busy too often steals our happiness and leaves us empty. The emptiness isolates us from those we care about most and it creates not only distance from the things we know should be important (faith and family) but saps our energy with guilt (yes, guilt). We know what we should be doing even though we don't do it.
Sunday has become a catch up day for people whose lives are over-scheduled and whose expectations are way over the top. We are too afraid of missing something to spend some of our precious time on those things that do not seem to be productive. The Church has too often competed for our time and attention as if worship and faith and family were simply other burdens to be balanced along with sports and social media and work and everything else.
Years ago I read a book by Marva Dawn on Sabbath keeping. I must admit I thought it was kind of goofy. I don't remember all her points but I think her premise is still correct. Man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for man. I read that somewhere. Far from the rigid requirements that make demands upon us, God made command for the spiritual rest of the soul in His mercy, for the rest of His Word in hearts and lives, and the rest of lives spinning too fast and too far.
It makes me think. I hope it makes you think.
6 comments:
I am tired of people bad mouthing the Blue Laws. The Blue Laws helped enable people of modest means to attend Sunday worship. Now people who are in poor financial straights are strong armed to work Sunday mornings. The Blue Laws protected those people.
I agree with David. The Blue Laws in NY, for example, enabled families and workers to spend time at home, have dinner together, and worship at church. But because it was a codified law with penalties, I remember many years ago when the owner of a furniture store on Long Island was arrested by the police for selling his goods on a Sunday. Most people thought it was a bit over the top. The legislature then rescinded the Blue Laws soon afterwards. But the way we spend Sunday has become a wink at God for an hour, and the rest of the day for shopping, sports or fun. There is nothing wrong with family time, and it is true too many people are required to trudge off to Walmart for a part time or full time job....but for a Christian, we need to be more obedient to God in how we treat the Sabbath. My daughter attends her LCMS church each Sunday, and afterwards goes to a nursing home to visit one or two elderly patients who have no living relatives. They we're strangers and now she considers them Her friends. Works of necessity and mercy are good things to consider when seeing where God may want us to use our talents and resources.....people....are the ministry Jesus spent time with. Blue laws or not, there are ways we can honor God on Sunday.
Decades ago under Missouri State blue laws, the large chain stores stayed open on Sunday anyway. Even after paying the fines, they still made a profit. Blue law fines were simply factored in to the cost of doing business.
People talk about keeping the Sabbath but then go out to lunch after church to restaurants where people are required to work on Sundays. I waited tables as my part time job in college and recall how I disliked working on Sundays as that is when the meanest people went out to eat. Something about coming from church seemed to put people in a foul mood and they were cranky towards the restaurant staff and their own families. I have talked to other servers over the years and they agree on this point. To this day, I do not eat out on Sundays and try to avoid shopping. Go home and rest, people. Do a fun activity with your family. Don't go to a restaurant and growl at the bus boy.
Sunday isn't even the Sabbath. What Bible are you guys reading?
The Sabbath, as appointed by God is Saturday, not Sunday. Jesús kept the Sabbath.
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