Sabbath

Last Sunday, one of our texts was from the Book of Genesis.

And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation (Genesis 2:4)

God rested. As God rested, so we, too, are invited into rest.

At Christ Church, things are winding down for the summer. We had our last Tuesday evening Eucharist and class last night, and this Sunday we’ll have one 9 AM service instead of both 8 and 10. The choir and Sunday School will go on break until fall, too.

Why do we do this? Most churches do some kind of reduced schedule over the summer, but it’s still a good question. It’s not as though God goes on vacation. God does, I guess, in the sense that God is also with us on our vacations, and so God will be found hiking and going to art museums when we do. There are some concrete reasons for the change—since people do go on vacation, attendance goes down in the summer. Having everyone all together for worship gives us more people to celebrate with at once. It’s also true that it can get pretty warm in the church, and it’s cooler at 9 than it is at 10.

But there’s another reason, too. I think we need a Sabbath, even at church, to help us all slow down a little. Our Sunday school teachers work so hard, and our choir practices so diligently, and, yes, I’ll admit that I do look forward to just having one service to lead as well. Worship is beautiful, and worship can help us escape the sometimes relentless pace of contemporary life, but if we lose our sense of mindfulness, church can become just one more commitment. We need a time where everything gets a little simplified, where we can take a break and recharge for the activities that will come soon enough.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel talks about the Sabbath as the sanctification of time. The created world is good, but it is not eternal. Only time is called “holy” in creation—not the waters, or the birds, or even human beings. We enter into holiness in time, not space.

Heschel writes. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation, from the world of creation to the creation of the world.

As the days get longer and the weather warmer, it feels like all creation is inviting us out to reconnect with God, to sit for a moment with that mystery and enjoy the creatureliness of our selves, like tender green shoots turning toward the sun.

So now put down your calendar.

Put down your cell phone.

Turn off the computer.

And now go outside to play.