Honouring the Sabbath
And Jesus concluded, "The Sabbath was made for the good of human
beings; they were not made for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27
Exo 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no
one is to work---neither you, your children, your slaves, your animals, nor the
foreigners who live in your country. In six days I, the LORD, made the earth,
the sky, the seas, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That is why I, the LORD,
blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.
Deu 5:12-15
" 'Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, as I, the LORD your God,
have commanded you. You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh
day is a day of rest dedicated to
me. On that day no one is to work---neither you, your children, your slaves,
your animals, nor the foreigners who live in your country. Your slaves must
rest just as you do. Remember that you
were slaves in Egypt, and that I, the LORD your God, rescued you by my great
power and strength. That is why I command you to remember the Sabbath.
Heb 4:1-11 Now, God has offered us the promise that we
may receive that rest he spoke
about. Let us take care, then, that none of you will be found to have failed to
receive that promised rest. For we
have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did
them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith. We
who believe, then, do receive that rest
which God promised. It is just as he said, "I was angry and made a solemn
promise: 'They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!' " He said this even though
his work had been finished from the time he created the world. For somewhere in
the Scriptures this is said about the seventh day: "God rested on the seventh day from all his
work." This same matter is spoken of again: "They will never enter
that land where I would have given them rest."
Those who first heard the Good News did not receive that rest, because they did not believe. There are, then, others who are
allowed to receive it. This is shown by the fact that God sets another day,
which is called "Today." Many years later he spoke of it through
David in the scripture already quoted: "If you hear God's voice today, do
not be stubborn."
If Joshua had
given the people the rest that God
had promised, God would not have spoken later about another day. As it is,
however, there still remains for God's people a rest like God's resting
on the seventh day. For those who receive that rest which God promised will rest
from their own work, just as God rested
from his. Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their
lack of faith.
Good News Bible Translation
Prayer to Welcome the Sabbath
Lord of Creation, create in us a new rhythm of life
composed of hours that sustain, rather than stress,
of days that deliver rather than destroy, of time that
tickles rather than tackles.
Lord of liberation, by the rhythm of Your truth, set us
free
from the bondage and baggage that breaks us,
from the Pharaohs and fellows who break fail us,
from the plans and pursuits that prey upon us.
Lord of Resurrection, may we be raised into the rhythm of
Your new life,
dead to deceitful calendars, dead to fleeting friend
requests,
dead to the empty peace of our accomplishments.
To our packed-full planners, we bid, “Peace!”
To our over-caffeinated consciences, we say, “Cease!”
To our suffocating selves, Lord, grant release.
Drowning in a sea of deadlines and death chimes, we rest
in You, our lifeline.
By Your ever-restful grace, allow us to enter Your
Sabbath rest
as Your Sabbath rest enters into us.
In the name of our Creator, our Liberator, our
Resurrection and Life, we pray.
Amen.
From “Common
Prayer” by Shane Claiborne, et al.
For reflection
Why do you think God spends more time on this command
than any other?
What are some of the ways (5) we can “Remember the
Sabbath”?
What does it mean to “keep it holy”?
How is the Sabbath a means of grace?
