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Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 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 (Deuteronomy 5:12-15).

The Sabbath word has a complex history. For many, it has negative resonance. While I was growing up, the major question for Sabbath keeping was, \u201cWhat is work?\u201d The answer created a long list of forbidden activities resulting in empty Sunday afternoons. Because we focus on defining \u2018work\u2019, it is difficult to apply to our cultural context. However, there is a renaissance of Sabbath keeping literature.

The biblical word concerning Sabbath is positive, meant to give life, not dull it. It is a discipline which helps develop a healthy Christian spirituality. Recall what we have been saying about these ten words. They are words of covenant, of the relationship between God and his people. The word about Sabbath was not intended to be primarily legalistic. Its purpose was to create space in the weekly rhythm for God and his people to be together. It is a Sabbath to the Lord. It was and is a gift.

Early in the era of the church, the first day of the week, the day of resurrection, became the Christian Sabbath. The New Testament does not command the Gentile Christian converts to cease work on that day. As much as it would be wonderful if Sabbath keeping was part of our country\u2019s culture, it is not, and not likely to be such. As Christians, we do well not to reserve \u2018Sabbath keeping\u2019 for Sunday, but rather fashion it as a way of life.

There are a couple of Scriptures that help us to do this. One of them is right here, \u201cRemember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there\u2026\u201d The first dynamic of Christian Sabbath is \u2018remembering\u2019. The exodus from Egypt gave shape to Israelite life and identity. Likewise, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead gives shape to the Christian life and identity. The early church choose to worship on the first day of the week, not the seventh or the sixth. It is not Good Friday, but Easter, resurrection, victory, that gives us our identity.

For Israel, Egypt was death. They were literally worked to death. Now, they must remember that God set them free from this \u2018death by work\u2019. In Exodus 20, God invites her to remember that he is the creator of all things. In both these Sabbath words, we are called to remember \u201cwho is who\u201d! Who creates and gives life? God does. Both passages challenge us to step out of the driver\u2019s seat and pray, \u201cGive us this day our daily bread.\u201d Sabbath keeping is the discipline of entering the freedom of putting our lives into God\u2019s care. We stop striving to create our own lives so that we can receive life from God.

The religious leaders challenged Jesus for his unacceptable Sabbath activities. The rather famous words, \u201cCome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest\u201d (Matt 11:28) are followed by Sabbath stories. Jesus gives rest to weary people. Our Lord was clearly more concerned about lifting our burdens and less about having us follow the rules. In Mark, Jesus concludes, \u201cThe Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath\u201d (2:27).

God knows we need rest and renewal\u2014physically, mentally, and spiritually. His commandment is a gift, should we choose to accept it. And yet we resist. We crave control, we must work, lest our world fall apart. Sabbath is given for us to remember that we cannot make life, God gives it. The life we are meant to live is not that of the workaholic, but of people in Christ. We are limited. We find life by delighting in God. In Christ, we are set free from our evil ways that we might live in his righteousness. Sabbath keeping gives us this gift.

The psalmist wrote, \u201cBlessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs\u2026\u201d (84:5-6). When we Sabbath to God, we receive his life and have plenty of life to give away. When we seek to make life for ourselves, we will never have enough; we will always fear running out.

Take time for Sabbath so God can bless you!