My pastor has been preaching on it. My friends and coworkers have been practicing it. It keeps coming up in conversation.

Sabbath.

It is a consecrated, dedicated time of rest. It is a time of remembrance of all that God has done. It is a covenant sign that we are God’s people; we do not belong to this world.

It is a gift.

It is not about hard-and-fast rules, but avoiding a legalistic approach has become my excuse to all but abandon Shabbat.

It’s obvious that individuals and societies are less healthy for not observing the Sabbath. The cycle of production and consumption never ends in a Sabbath-less life. We allow our actions to be driven by an anxious-yet-subtle whisper in our heads, “what if…

What if I don’t work today? How will I pay the bills? What if I don’t commit to this social event? How can maintain all of my friendships? What if I don’t volunteer for this church program, won’t I let my congregation down? What if I get bored?

This is not the Life Abundant that Jesus came to give us.

Sabbath is resistance to the false gods of anxiety, consumerism, pride, and restlessness.

Our Spirit-filled new life in Christ is one of freedom from slavery to sin, worry, and ignorance. We are even set free from slavery to ourselves.

We are free, and God takes care of us now.

Practicing Sabbath is an act of faith. It is to act in trust of God’s goodness.

As I mediate on these things, I realize it’s time for me to stop resisting God’s grace, and start resisting false gods. It’s time for me to quit submitting to the yoke of slavery and to live free. It’s time to begin taking Sabbath seriously again.

Shabbat shalom.

Do you also feel like it’s time to begin treating the Sabbath with more seriousness? Let me know in the comments!