Sabbathing, Part 2--What No One Explains About Sabbath

This is the week we move.  As you read this, I should be somewhere in Oregon or California, and we're planning to spend our Sabbath on the beach.  We almost never skip church, but that's not as pious as it sounds. Until this week, Jim was the pastor.

Ironically, this is one of the first times we get to actually keep the command not to work on Sabbath.  For most of our married life, Sabbath had more work in it than any other day (for me as well as him).  When you can't "rest" on the Sabbath, you take a good look at how else you can honor it.

Last week I said the Sabbath command is a simple one--don't work.  But if you can't keep the command exactly, how do you keep Sabbath?  Is the Sabbath more than the command?

I think it has to be. And you don't find the explanation in Exodus.  The Sabbath command makes no mention of family time, or nature, or even of worship. Defining the Sabbath based on the 10 commandments is like trying to define Christmas from your employer's list of paid holidays.  Both will tell you not to come to work on that day,* but they don't tell you what to do with it.**

A few months back I tried to come up with a definition of Sabbath.  I was trying to figure out, if we weren't resting much, what exactly we were doing to have legitimate Sabbath time.

Sabbath, I purport, is a complicated thing.  Both the command and the word itself mean to stop, to cease, to pause.  And yet we insist on believing Sabbath is for doing something.  We have the urge to fill it with family meals and mountain hikes, we pump it full of church activities.  What are we doing, when we're Sabbathing?

This is what I think Sabbath is.  You'll have to forgive the fact that this isn't a theology, based on Scripture, of what it should be.  I have only tried, by observation, to describe what it is:



1. The Sabbath is a command, and we obey it.

That was the easy one--the evangelists told us as much. The command is very simple--don't work.  This one day of the week, your household must cease producing.  It's an act of trust in God's care, and a chance to reset our identity to something besides the value of what we can accomplish.  But it doesn't fill the Sabbath with meaning.  Instead, it empties it--it makes a great big void, a blank canvass, a teeming ocean of potential. The command clears a space in which to Sabbath.

2. The Sabbath is a tradition, and we honor it.

If you and I were Jewish, we would have no problem with this one.  When we do the same thing every week--every Friday sundown, or Sabbath afternoon, we create a sense of belonging.  When we eat the same food or listen to the same music, speak the same words, or gather with the same people, the sheer volume of the collective memory impacts our souls.  It can become the walls and floor of a familiar room in our hearts. Spontaneity is beautiful, but habit is the fastest route to worship.

3. The Sabbath is a holiday, and we celebrate it.

This is where we get the idea that Sabbath should be full of hikes to waterfalls, and picnics with family and friends.  We should wear the best clothes and eat the best food, and be happy together. If Sabbath was invented to remember creation, than it's a celebration of life and existence itself.  We ought to do the things that make us good human beings--feed our souls, and feed our relationships.  We remember we are created, and we celebrate the fact that we need not make ourselves.

4. The Sabbath is an opportunity, and we protect it.

The Sabbath List, objectionable though it is, comes from somewhere.  It was meant as a way to protect the priceless potential of the Sabbath from being eaten up with mundane things.  Why don't we do our shopping on Sabbath, or organize our sock drawers? It's not because we think those things are bad, and they'll pollute the holiness of the day.*** It's because we have a chance to do good instead.  We worship, and we serve one another.  It's a place for all the good things that get crowded out of the other days by the need to produce.

This is the reason we clear our schedules, and keep charts of sunset times, and do extra dusting on Friday (meaning over and above the regular dusting all of us do daily).  And this is the reason we walk the tightrope over the chasm of legalism, and often lose our balance and fall in.  And hopefully climb back out again.


This is Sabbathing.  This is what we do.

Somewhere on the other side of this move we're going to walk into church and not be the pastor's family. We're going to learn how to do Sabbath in a different way.  I don't know how it's going to feel, and I'm probably going to look at all of you to figure out how to do it.

But whatever it looks like, we'll still be doing these things, like we always have.  Trying to keep them in balance with each other.  Trying to find meaning from each. Trying to find God in the gift.

Today, I wish you a happy Sabbath.

*unless you are unlucky enough not to have Christmas off

**And it won't help to go to the Bible for what a holy day (holiday) means. In Leviticus, God gives the people a list of holidays, and explains them by saying, "it is a sabbath of rest for you." (Leviticus 23) It seems the Sabbath is the foundation of the holidays, and not an example of them.

***Okay, I admit some actually do think mundane things will sully the holiness of Sabbath, and are therefore somehow bad on one day of the week, even though they're good on the other days. I just think there's another point.

[NEXT WEEK: A POTLUCK STORY]

Sabbathing, Part 1--Why You Should Break Up With the Sabbath List

Everyone knows about as the Sabbath List. Oh, it's not uniform. It's never written down, which means not everyone has the same one (maybe the GC should check into this), but we all have one.  We learn it in childhood, when people explain what we can and can't do on Sabbath.  For those who didn't grow up in the church, the evangelists try to be helpful and get them started on their own Lists.

Here are some of the rules I've heard:

1. No swimming. But wading is okay, because it's a nature activity.  But to keep it separate from swimming, you have to stop when the water gets to your knees.  Of course, if you come from the tropics, you can go for a "Sabbath afternoon nature snorkel," because this is the equivalent of the "nature hike" elsewhere, plus you see pretty fish.

2. You must stay dressed up all day.  Or, you may change, but only after a formal Sabbath lunch.  Or, you may change, but your afternoon clothes must be semi-dressy.

3. No sports.  Or, no sports with balls (but Frisbees are okay). Or no sports with teams or competition. (In an interesting combination, you may be allowed to play a ball-centered team sport like volleyball, as long as you stay in your suit from church.)

4. No buying anything, including your meal.  Or, you may buy your meal, as long as it's not from an Adventist source, in which case you must pay before Friday sundown. Or, you may buy a meal but only if you are traveling and/or conducting church business.  You may take up an offering for charity, even if that charity is your own ministry, but you can't sell your books or music. And we'd really prefer you didn't look at the bills as you put them in the plate, because Sabbath is the day we pretend money doesn't exist.

We're working on our own version of the List here.  Last Sabbath, I told my kids they could watch VeggieTales, or they could watch YouTube videos of kids playing with actual toys, but not regular cartoons.  I can't really explain why any of it might be bad to watch on Sabbath (if it were bad, I wouldn't let them watch it the other days), but I felt the need to make some kind of distinction.

I confess, this is a struggle for me right now.  I want to teach my kids to enjoy Sabbath for itself.  I figure the first step is not to tell them everything they enjoy is bad on Sabbath, or to spend the whole day telling them no. And I certainly don't want to get them started on their own Sabbath guilt.

But there are things I'm just plain-out not comfortable doing on Sabbath.  And it's not because I think it's a sin to do them.  It's just that controlling my outward environment signals my brain that this day is different.  Certain habits make me feel Sabbath-like. (At least they used to, before the kids started creating a uniform chaos that doesn't vary from one day of the week to another.)

And here we have the Sabbath's dirty little secret:  the List has no relationship to the command.  Actually, the Sabbath command is pretty easy--you and your household have to stop your work for a day. That's all. So the List isn't about sin, it's about tradition.

This is the first step in untangling your Sabbath guilt.  Most of the stuff we feel guilty for about the Sabbath isn't actually Sabbath-breaking.  It isn't commandment breaking, and I am never an advocate of stretching the meaning of sin beyond what the Bible itself gives.*

But that's not the end of the story on Sabbath keeping.  If it was, my life would be a lot simpler.  I can just tell my kids they don't have to do their chores on Sabbath, and we're good. They certainly won't think that Sabbath is boring or oppressive.  But they won't have all the joy of Sabbath I want for them, either.

I don't approve of making new things into sin.  But I also don't approve of thinking the Christian life is about avoiding sin. If the point of our faith was "make sure you don't sin," then Christianity would be about sitting very still, and we'd all be better off as atheists. If the point of Sabbath was "make sure you don't break the command," then Jesus' words are reversed, and man is made for the Sabbath--not the Sabbath for man--after all.**

I believe his promise to give us life "to the full."*** The reason we cut out the bad from our lives is that we're busy chasing the best.  And Sabbath itself--the command not to provide for ourselves or chase profits for one day--is evidence that the best isn't what we can make with our own hands. There is something more meaningful, more exciting, more life-giving in the Sabbath, than what we're getting on the other days.  So sometimes we also cut out the good from our Sabbaths, still chasing the best.  Not because it's on the List, but because we're looking for more.

No List, no matter how well kept, can give you real Sabbathing.  That's probably why God didn't give us one.  We just have to make choices ourselves.****  So don't waste your time on the List, or the guilt.  Instead, chase the best.  God didn't give us a Sabbath List, but he did give us a promise:

" 'then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.' The mouth of the Lord has spoken."

[NEXT WEEK: SABBATHING PART 2--WHAT NO ONE EXPLAINS ABOUT SABBATH]




*Yes, I know someone will be worried about Isaiah 58:13, where God says to honor the Sabbath by "not going your own way, and not doing as you please or speaking idle words." But it's a logical stretch to say this verse means that doing the things that please us constitute breaking the Sabbath, especially since God promises they will "call the Sabbath a delight" and "find your joy in the Lord" if they keep it.

I suspect this "doing as you please" actually means ignoring God's commands, particularly the ones about fair treatment of others. It appears to mean just that in verse 3 of the same chapter: "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers."  In fact, the entire chapter is about social justice, fairness to workers and kindness to those in need, and how God values it above going through the motions of worship.  So really not an argument about swimming vs wading here.

**Mark 2:27

***John 10:10

****That can be freeing for an individual, but it leaves all of you parents and teachers, and even church administrators muddling through, one YouTube video or Sabbath meal card at a time.

Why the Church Doesn't Get "Total Member Involvement"

I knew it was bad when they chose the acronym "TMI."  Actually, that may be all the illustration we need for what's wrong in our midst.

The idea is a good one--who could object to total member involvement?* Who doesn't want every hand possible being used to reach our world for God? But when you're willing to call your program TMI, and you either don't know or don't care that it means something else, there's a problem.

I have bad news for the church.  No matter how much our publications push that acronym, it will always mean "too much information" (as in, "please stop") to the younger demographics.

And the saddest part is that I don't really think this issue failed to come up when the title was being vetted.  My guess is that it just didn't matter enough to those who made the choice.  They figured we would adapt.

This is exactly the problem.  Our church is very willing to use everyone, if it can fit them into our blueprint.  Women are welcomed, as long as you stick to potlucks and teaching children.  Young people are welcomed, as long as you can help us do what we've always done.  And we are bewildered if you bring us a talent or a plan we're not used to.

TMI may have some success--I genuinely hope it does. Please don't get me wrong. I want members to be able to contribute in meaningful ways.  I want the world to hear about the love of God. I certainly wouldn't ask a program to fail in these worthy goals because it was badly titled.

But even so, the name and its needlessly distracting acronym are always going to be a symbol that someone up there doesn't "get" young (or even young-for-church-people) adults.  And if we can't understand and adapt to young people, we will never get total involvement.  If we cannot handle women with the gifts of leadership (except maybe as head deaconess), we're going to limp along crippled into eternity.

(These, by the way, are cupcakes decorated for a birthday party.)

Since I'm in the middle of packing for a move, I'll conclude this blog with a field trip of sorts, so I can avoid the usual "homework."  This is a script I wrote for a short skit we used with a sermon on using everyone's gifts for God.  I call it . . .

THE AUDITION

A panel of 3 judges sits behind a table, holding clipboards and looking official and important. A sign leaning against the table says “Church Talent Show Auditions.” Judge 1 is our kindly “front face” of the operation, Judge 2 is a little more stiff and proper, and Judge 3 is a bit goofy.

A young woman named Mary is auditioning.

Judge 1 (standing): Next!

Mary walks onto stage and stands in front of them.

Judge 1: Welcome to our try-outs (reads from a clipboard) Mary Smith—right, that's your name? I do have the right person?

Mary: Yes, that's me!

Judge 1: Very well, you may begin.

Mary: All right. [strikes a pose and looks into the middle distance] Hey everybody, good to see you here tonight, looking so good. You know, I almost didn't make it. I was having an interpersonal conflict. Yeah, me, the red light, and the traffic cop just didn't see eye to eye. I suggested mediation--

Judge 2—Wait, stop! What are you doing?

Judge 1—Is this your opening illustration? Are you giving a Bible study on law and grace? I don't get it.

Mary—No. No, I'm doing a comedy routine. That's—that's my first joke.

Judge 3—I didn't get it.

Judge 2—We DO NOT do comedy here.

Mary—But this is a talent show. That's my talent.

Judge 1—No, no. This is a CHURCH talent show. We're looking for church talents. Do you have any church talents young lady?

Mary—But I prepared my whole routine. You want me to come up with another talent? What's a church talent, anyway?

Judge 2—You know, churchy things. Can you give a Bible study? I still think that story could be about law and grace . . .

Mary—But it isn't. And I can't do Bible studies. How do you even do a Bible study in a talent show, anyway? Isn't a talent show supposed to be about entertainment?

Judge 2 (shocked)--Not around here!

Judge 1—What we are trying to say is, do you have any talents that are church talents? Of course you don't have to give Bible studies. We need more than one kind of talent in the church, after all, don't we? [Looking at other judges who nod and smile encouragingly]

Mary—I can ride a unicycle.

Judge 3—Blindfolded?

Judge 1—No, no—church talents. Can you sing? That can be a church talent.

Judge 2—As long as you don't sing too fast or too loud.

Judge 3—And as long as you don't do that funny thing where your adam's apple goes up and down.

Mary—I don't sing. I can play the harmonica.

Judge 1—We do take instruments, as long as you can lead the singing with them. Piano works, or guitar. Sometimes stringed or wind instruments for backup.

Mary—Harmonica is a wind instrument, isn't it?

Judge 1 (flipping to another page on clipboard and looking)--I'm afraid it's not on our list.

Mary—You have a list of “church instruments”?

Judge 2—Well, of course! How else can you remember?

Judge 1, (trying to cut in and redirect the conversation)—Okay, so no music, but I'm sure you're very talented. Can you teach children?

Mary—On stage? For a talent show?

Judge 3--”Church talent” show

Mary—Okay, so what you're saying is that if my talent isn't on your list, then I can't use it here?

Judge 1—No, no, of course not! The church needs all kinds of talents. After all, God created all of us with talents to use! The church needs all our talent to get by. How do you look in a Bible costume?

Mary (annoyed)—I look fine, but that's not my talent.

Judge 3—Oh, and we need someone to mow the lawn! The last guy who did that is moving away.

Mary—Are you serious?

Judge 2—Organize a potluck?

Mary (throwing up hands)—I give up! [Walks off stage]

Judge 1 (looking at the others)—Well, that was too bad. She seemed like a bright, talented young lady.

Judge 2—It's kind of sad the way young people don't want to serve the church these days.

Judge 3 (shrugging)—I blame those smartphones.

Judge 1 (looks at his list)—Next!

Next person walks on stage holding a bagpipe.

All three judges exchange a glance.

Judges 1, 2, and 3 (in unison)—Next!!


[If you would like to use this skit in your church or local setting, please feel welcome to the script.  I only ask that you keep my name attached to it, and send others to this site rather than distributing copies of the script outside your own cast.]


*Except, of course, when the program becomes an excuse not to encourage women to pursue ministry.  As in, "Look, you don't have to be ordained to work for God.  We have ways to use you as a volunteer instead."