Lent: Finding Freedom in Sabbath Time
The Bible makes a big deal about Sabbath time. Our origin story in Genesis reminds us that even God, after the good work of creation, took a day off. Then when Moses returns from Sinai with the Ten Commandments, they include “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day.” The Book of the Law, Deuteronomy, contains rules to help people keep the Sabbath holy. And the prophets constantly call God’s people out for violating Sabbath law.
When Jesus tells the Pharisees “The Sabbath was made for people and not people for the Sabbath,” he is not dismissing Sabbath Law as no longer necessary. Rather, he is calling people back to the intent of the Sabbath—to establish a holy rhythm in our lives. As always, Jesus declares that faithful living isn’t about obedience to rules; it’s about whether our choices lead us closer to God or turn us away from God.
Jesus was clear: the Sabbath was made for us, to protect us not to bind us. When cast out of Eden, part of our loss was that we ceased to know within ourselves the gift of work, and labor became a burden. When we are right with God, we achieve balance in our lives between hours of productive work and periods of refreshment. Just as God modeled this balance in creation, Jesus modeled it as he “went away to a quiet place to pray” and took time to be with friends.
The prophets of Hebrew Scripture were clear about the sin of unscrupulous business owners who ignored the Sabbath and made unreasonable demands on their workers. 19th century American leaders, in the midst of the industrial revolution, noted the critical importance of the Sabbath to American character. Physician and poet Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. wrote, “He who ordained the Sabbath loved the poor.” And St. Stephen’s was part of creating Galahads, Girls’ Friendly and Fleur de Lis to provide healthy engagement for children working in the mills.
Now in the 21st century, we are living fully into our fall from grace with the tyranny of work pressing upon us from all sides. People need to work multiple jobs to get by. The 24-hour news cycle and instantaneous nature of communication plant us firmly in a world without limits. Our culture places on us, and we often accept, the pace of non-stop living. But let us be clear: no matter how important our work or how well we use our time, our failure to keep holy the Sabbath distresses God.
Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins, is February 22. We have three weeks to think and pray about how we might use Lent to turn our lives to God. There are lots of sins that beset us—trusting in ourselves and not God, holding on to anger and resentment, living for possessions and profit, lying and cheating, disrespecting others… But, I suspect that many of our sins would find relief and release if we made space for God in our daily lives. We would experience freedom in a multitude of arenas if only we found a holy balance in our lives between busy-ness and rest.
Sabbath time is about maintaining a holy balance in our lives. God challenges us to make time for God and for the relationships that sustain us. Keeping the Sabbath holy creates space to pray, to read, to walk, to talk. Our Lenten programs will offer opportunities
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For prayer and worship at the church and at the Monastery in Cambridge,
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For fellowship and faith conversations both in Lynn and throughout the Diocese,
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For one-to-one talks with leaders to share your hopes and dreams for St. Stephen’s, and
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For Sabbath Sundays to relax in community free from the burden of meetings.
God created us for freedom. This Lent let us find freedom in Sabbath time.
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