Friends in Christ,
When the Children of Israel had completed the long, arduous journey from Egypt into the Promised Land, Moses gathered them together to review the principles of faith and life that God had given him when he went up Mount Sinai to receive the Law. Moses concluded his presentation with these words: “Be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”
Good words of reminder for them. Good words to remind us about one of the Ten Commandments that seems antiquated and lost among us. It is this: “Observe 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, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”
(1) What does it mean to us? Probably not a great deal, for a variety of reasons, starting with this: Phil went into his boss's office and said, "Sir, I'll be honest with you. I know the economy isn't great, but I've got three companies after me, and I'm asking, respectfully, for a raise.” After a few moments of thought, Phil’s boss nodded approvingly and said, “Yes, you have earned a 5% raise for your good work. And, if I may, which three companies are after you?" Phil looked sheepish before answering, “The electric company, water company, and phone company."
Yes, in a world of ever-rising expenses, we work – long and hard – to pay our bills. A study conducted by Gettysburg College, one of our Lutheran schools, reports that the average person spends 90,000 hours working to be able to have a reasonably good life. That translates into 2,080 working hours a year for those who have a traditional 40-hour work week, in addition to another 220 hours of work around the house at the end of the day and on weekends. We work a lot – to get by.
(2) But, at what cost physically? Healthline reports that when we work too much some are tempted to drink too much to calm down at the end of the day; for others too, much work translates into poor quality work that can lead to termination; for still others lack of sufficient rest can cause feelings of depression, an unhealthy strain on the heart, numerous aches and pains, and, strains on interactions with those we love.
There is an old story, probably not historic nor even true, but with a helpful point. A wagon train of settlers was traveling from St. Louis to Oregon. Among those in the convoy were several Christians families. Initially, at the urging of the Christians, the wagon train observed the Sabbath day by stopping to rest and not traveling. But, as winter approached with the threat of bad weather and treacherous roads through the mountains, some in the group began to panic that they would not reach Oregon before the snow fell. They proposed traveling on the Sabbath days as well. Christians in the group strongly objected. The eventual outcome was a division into two groups. One would travel all seven days and the others would travel only six days, with a day of rest and worship, no matter the cost of consequence. The story concludes by reporting that the group which rested arrived in Oregon first! The people and the horses, because they were rested, were able to travel more efficiently the other six days. Or, as Jesus said in the Gospel of St. Mark, “The Sabbath was made for us, not we for the Sabbath.”
Yes, there is a physical toll from too much work, and, perhaps even more ominous is the toll too much work takes on us spiritually. Spiritually? Yes. The temptation – the mistaken belief – when we work too much - is that we can take care of ourselves; we can earn our own way in life; essentially – that we can get along without the care of our Heavenly Father. We replace Him with the foolish belief that we are in charge, and, that moves us from the Third Commandment to the First Commandment – having someone – something – else in God’s place. When we do that, we deprive ourselves of the blessings God has given us through faith in His dear Son – forgiveness, grace, rest, renewal, quiet, peace, comfort – all the results of the work of Jesus’ sinless life, sacrificial death, and transforming resurrection.
(3) Let’s transition with this: In one of our congregations, as in many of them, a woman who was faithful in worship attended week after week for many years. She did not possess wealth or many material blessings, yet she never missed church. Finally, one Sunday the Pastor went out of his way to tell her how pleased and grateful he was for her attendance in worship. She looked at him with a smile and said softly, “I work two jobs to pay my bills, and it is nice to come here after a hard week to sit down and have nothing to think about.”
Ouch!
No, please. God wants us to think about these truths while you are here. First, to “observe” the commandments means to pay attention, perform, guard, keep, and honor God’s Word. No exceptions, no exemption. Then, too, to “keep the Sabbath Day holy” – the seventh day – means to set it apart – to take a day a week – whenever it may be – to rest, reflect, quiet yourself, think about, worship God – as we once did with the ‘blue laws’ that keep Sunday as a day of worship, rest, and family – no stores open, no competitors for Sunday morning time. God’s Day to honor God’s name and allow His Word to recenter us for the coming work week.
Shelly Miller, in her book, Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World, has written this: “Sabbath isn't about resting perfectly; it's about resting in the One who is perfect.”
What an excellent reminder! Amen.
