September 06th, 2023

Reflections on Summer. It sure seemed that summer had only begun, and then it was over. I was told once that time goes faster as you get older, and I am finding this to be true. The school summer break is shorter than it used to be, which condenses activities even more. Our lives are so strictly governed by our calendars, when do we pause, rest, and enjoy?

In the Law of Moses, specifically in the Ten Commandments, God set aside a weekly Sabbath of rest and worship and set strict guidelines of dos and don’ts that every Jewish man, woman, and child had to observe. You couldn’t work, walk over a set distance, cook, or do any activity except rest and worship. This is still practiced by Jews today across the world. When I was in Israel this past May, I experienced the Sabbath.

We were in the city of Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, staying in a hotel. The Sabbath began on Friday evening just as the second star appeared in the sky, around 6 pm. We noticed a change in the hotel staff as the Jewish employees went home and Arab employees took their place. There was also a considerable decrease in the number of cars on the road. Many Jewish businesses closed, leaving only a few Arab stores open. It was an eerie feeling as the city came to a halt. We did see families heading to the synagogues for worship. There was also a difference in what we had for meals on Saturday - just the basics and no coffee?????

Why do you think that God set aside the Sabbath for us? In the Genesis account of Creation, it took six days for God to create the world, and on the seventh day, He rested. God needs a rest? Or was he demonstrating for us our need for it. For protestants outside the Jewish faith, we still have our day of worship on Sunday following the 1st-century church practice, but do we use it as rest and worship?

Imagine what it would be like if you didn’t have to leave home for one day each week and had nothing to do but rest – no yard work, no laundry, or any chores whatsoever. Doesn’t that sound awesome? Or does it seem unimaginable? Some of us would be bored, but wouldn’t that be better than overworked and exhausted running from one thing to another?

There is a movement calling Christians to set aside a Sabbath for only one day to try it. If it works, then set another day. Maybe after experiencing it a time or two, it might become something that we long for and plan in our schedules.

​I am not asking you to do it, but I am encouraging you to. I’ve set my own goal and hopefully I can keep to it. Maybe we can conclude that God knows exactly what we need.