Thoughts on Sabbath

I've found incredible blessing through keeping Sabbath over the three and a half decades of my life. I joke that it's kept me sane, but it probably shouldn't be a joke. Back in August of 2006, I wrote these thoughts on Sabbath in the post "Happy Sabbath, World":

I love the picture of salvation that Sabbath is.

• The Sabbath is God's provision for us to cease from the burden of our normal weekly labors (Exodus 20:10; Jeremiah 17:21-22). Salvation is God's provision for us to be free from the burden of our sin and the works of the law (Hebrews 4:8-10).
• Sabbath-breaking was a Very Big Deal because it destroyed the picture of letting God make all provision for us through all salvation (Numbers 15:32-37). If we live a life of Salvation + Sticks, we are missing God's design. God provides everything we need for soul rest through Jesus Christ. If we insist on making provision for ourselves, we are insulting God (Ephesians 2:7-9).
• The Sabbath was God's kind idea and gift for us (Mark 2:27; Exodus 16:29). Salvation was God's idea for us, too. We never could have initiated and followed through on it (Romans 5:8).
• The Sabbath was supposed to remind the Israelites to remember God delivering them from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15). We need regular reminders of God delivering us from the bondage of sin (2 Peter 1:8-9).
• The Sabbath requires faith to keep, because it doesn't make sense to stop doing all the important things that need to be done to rest, just because God said so. Salvation requires living by faith, because it doesn't make sense to trust God when we think we can manage fine by ourselves (Hebrews 4:11).
• The Sabbath is a 24-hour appointment with God, a chance to get to know Him better, not an excuse to party (Isaiah 58:13-14). Salvation is a lifetime--then an eternity--with God, a chance to know Him more (Philippians 3:9-11).

Because of salvation, we have Sabbath every day. But because I acknowledge Sabbath, I think I have a deeper appreciation of salvation. May God's peace refresh you all today.

About three weeks ago, Carolyn McCulley introduced some more great Sabbath thoughts in her post entitled "Liberation and the Sabbath," applying some ideas from a sermon by Tim Keller.

"But if there's one concept that really leapt out at me, it was the idea that the Sabbath is an act of liberation. By not taking Sabbath rest seriously, I am keeping myself enslaved when I have already been set free by Christ. And by not taking Sabbath rest seriously at this point of my life, I am also buying into the American concept that rest comes with retirement ... and not before then. But I do not need to be enslaved until some arbitrary age! I have been liberated by Christ Himself."

You can read her entire post here and find Keller's sermon (which I have not yet listened to) here.

Sabbath peace to you!