Jeremiah 17:19-27
19 Thus said the Lord to me: “Go and stand in the People's Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. 22 And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. 23 Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction.24 “‘But if you listen to me, declares the Lord, and bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, 25 then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings and princes who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall be inhabited forever. 26 And people shall come from the cities of Judah and the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Shephelah, from the hill country, and from the Negeb, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to me, to keep the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.’”
Mary Kathryn and I have been discovering the importance of Jeremiah's words about the reason for sabbath keeping in verse 21, "Take care for the sake of your lives." I recently heard a mentor of mine say that our call to keep sabbath, to set aside time and rest, is a subversive way of finding the time and stamina we need to get everything done. The world tells us that we need to utilize every moment that we have to get things done. Time is a commodity to be managed, in the world, and so it sounds absurd to take a break and rest when we have so much to get done.
We have become slaves to time and work, and Mary Kathryn and I have found that it is pulling at the threads of our family and our happiness. So, about five months ago we started setting aside one day a week for sabbath keeping and it has changed our perspective in a huge way. We have struggled our way into learning that the words of my mentor are true, "resting from vocation restores identity." You see, without rest our work begins to define us and we are quickly identified by what we do and not by who we are. Sabbath reminds us that our true identity lies in being beloved children of God.
It hasn't been easy to carve out that time every week. There have been many weeks where Sabbath is over and we know that we have neglected to truly rest. But we are learning the difference between what is restful and what is chaotic in our lives, and we are seeking those things that work to re-create us. If we don't, I'm afraid our lives are in danger of being overtaken by work and worry.
"Take care for the sake of your lives."
Joseph Nader
