A Call--Accepted Series

Luke 6:1-16 “Something New”

INTRODUCTION

I think that one of the great joys in life is to be able to give a gift and then watch the recipient enjoy the gift. As a grandparent, I love giving a gift to my granddaughters and then watch them play with it. I can’t imagine what it would be like if their parents—wanting to keep the gift looking like new—established rules that prevented them from having fun with the gift. I think it would be even more devastating if the girls completely ignored the gift and it sat at the bottom of their play box.

As horrific as these images are, this is exactly how most of us treat God’s gracious gift of the Sabbath.

RULES, RULES, RULES

After working hard, 24/7 as slaves for the Egyptians, God lovingly gave the Israelites a day off. The Sabbath was for the people of God, because God wanted the very best for them. God didn’t need to rest, but God consecrated the Sabbath by resting on the sixth day after creation. The religious leaders of the Jews took a love inspired gift and made it totally unenjoyable.

The Jews were performance orientated. Their righteousness was based on how well they kept the commandments. Laws were enacted to ensure that everyone kept the Sabbath. A person simply could not work on the Sabbath. The Sabbath became a burden rather than a gift.

Jesus’ interactions with the Jewish rulers underscored how perverted the Sabbath observance had become. Hungry disciples couldn’t feed themselves because it was considered work. Sabbath laws even superseded love. Healing a man with a withered hand was work and therefore forbidden. Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath to demonstrate that love trumps all.

For centuries Christians observed laws that “protected” the Sabbath. One by one those laws have been repealed. Now, we respond to God’s gift of the Sabbath by ignoring it.

WHAT SABBATH?

Laura Ingalls Wilder writes in her books how unbearable Sundays were because the children were forbidden from all activities except reading and playing quietly. Well into the twentieth century stores were closed on Sunday in order to observe the Sabbath. Not any longer!

We are a nation that prides ourselves on being busy. We play “My Calendar is More Crammed than Yours,” and we brag about long days and unbearable work weeks. Our identity is wrapped up in what we do, and we fear being called lazy. We ignore the Sabbath by shopping until we drop, or by being so involved in an activity that we are more tired at the end of the day than we were at its beginning.

Perhaps some of the problem is that we don’t understand what the Sabbath is. We define the Sabbath as either a time to go to church or a time to do nothing.

• The Sabbath is a time to turn our attention away from the world and towards God.

• The Sabbath is a time to celebrate God’s love and grace.

• The Sabbath is a time to be refreshed, renewed, and revived.

• The Sabbath is a time to rest.

• The Sabbath is a time to love.

There are a multitude of activities in which we can participate that enable us to experience God’s gift to its fullest. In doing so, we can nurture our relationship with God, our family and others.

A SABBATH FAITH

It is important for our spiritual, mental, and physical wellbeing for us to keep the Sabbath. But, there is more.

The Sabbath is a statement of faith.

• Keeping the Sabbath reminds me that the world can get along quite well without me.

• Keeping the Sabbath allows me to announce that I truly do trust that God is the one who provides for me needs and it doesn’t all rest on my shoulders.

• Keeping the Sabbath demonstrates that there are more important things in life than what the world can provide.

CONCLUSION

God has given us a great gift and invites us to enjoy it.

In the midst of the demands of everyday life, the Lord not only gives us the Sabbath, but he also invites us to “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give them rest.” The Lord is our portion and strength. In this we can both rejoice and rest.

Amen