Readings for today: Leviticus 23-25
The first feast of the Lord listed in Leviticus 23 is the Sabbath. One day a week set aside for rest. Hardwired into creation itself, the Sabbath may be the most important and most neglected spiritual discipline of our time. The world runs 24/7. The ubiquity of social media creates an expectation that we must be “on” all the time. Most of us feel like we can’t get away from our work even for an hour, much less an entire day. As rates of anxiety and depression rise, accompanied by self-destructive coping mechanisms of self-harm, addiction, and suicide; one must ask the question, is it time to re-commit ourselves to a weekly Sabbath?
I keep a Sabbath. Every Monday I purposefully set aside all my work. I do not answer email. I do not answer phone calls. I do not prepare for sermons. Instead, I spend time in personal worship. I spend time talking to my accountability partner of almost twenty-five years. I spend time reading, resting, relaxing. I go to the gym. I spend time with my wife and adult kids when they get home from work. We do not schedule any events on Monday evenings if at all possible. This weekly rhythm acts as a “speed bump” in my life, slowing me down on a regular basis.
Are there times when I violate my Sabbath? Yes. Sometimes I fail to be diligent and get all my work done in the previous six days. Sometimes I’m working on a big project or taking on new obligations. Sometimes I’m under a significant deadline. However, I try to build in extra rest after those seasons come to an end so I dial life back to a sustainable pace.
My life is busy. I have a wife of 30 years who I cherish and adore. I have four adult children who deserve my time and attention and love. I have parents and siblings who I love spending time with. Professionally, I serve as the senior pastor for a growing, missional church in a community with many needs. I serve as an adjunct professor teaching graduate students about evangelism and mission two semesters every year. I serve as the chair of the board for a mission organization that’s doing amazing work in the Horn of Africa. I’ve been given opportunities to serve at different levels of my denomination. It’s a rich and full and beautiful life. But without a Sabbath, I would quickly burn out.
I’m sure your life is busy as well. Work. Family. School. Church. Kid’s activities. I am sure you feel like you barely get through each day. Let me encourage you to master your schedule. Wrest control of your life from the enemy who wants to drive you to exhaustion and burnout. Set aside one day out of every week for Sabbath rest. Turn off your phone. Fast from social media. Create a “no-tech” zone in your life for just 24 hours. Rest. Relax. Take a walk with those you love. Worship. Spend uninterrupted time with God. Let Him renew and restore you for the week ahead. There is no “one” way to keep a Sabbath. The only guidance Scripture gives is worship and rest. Gather with God’s people to give Him the praise He is due and then do whatever you need to do to relax and let your mind and body recover.
Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 26-27, Numbers 1-2