Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:15
(with thanks to Eugene Peterson)
(with thanks to Eugene Peterson)
1. according to Malcolm Gladwell in his book The Tipping Point, tipping points are little changes that can have big effects. When small numbers of people start behaving differently or buying a product, the potential is there for reaching a critical mass or ‘tipping point,’ leading to some kind of societal change.
2. for July & August I’m talking about tipping points in our relationship with God. Actions, behaviors, perspectives that will tip us in the direction of God’s presence, power & kingdom in our lives.
3. so far I’ve covered 2 tipping points - experiencing God’s forgiveness & the necessity of silence. This week – the challenge of busyness & the necessity of Sabbath.
the challenge of busyness
1. to start us off, I have some phrases that characterize the busyness of our lives:
2. multi-tasking – how many things can you do at once? Drive to work + talk on my cell phone + check my email messages + listen to the morning news + drink my coffee. I drove by a woman on I-5 the other day who was putting on her make-up. Hannah @ 6 years old, Look Dad, I can walk & chew gum at the same time!
3. 24/7 – stores & the Internet stay open 24/7 for shopping. Parts of our society never shut down. People work at all hours of the day & night.
4. over-choice – a newly coined term for the stress we feel from having more options than we can handle or actually need. Does it really matter if I buy the mint or the peach shampoo? What used to be just a cup of coffee has now turned into 125 different combinations at Starbucks. We live in a society immersed in options – a whole aisle of cereal to choose from when looking for breakfast food.
5. blurring of boundaries – technology blurs the boundaries between work & home & vacation. Rest becomes difficult because we are constantly ‘on.’ In May I spent 5 days at a monastery. I was intrigued by one of the people I met – he frequently checked his Blackberry to stay abreast of his emails & calls.
6. scheduled hyperactivity – this is what one child behavior expert calls the exhausting schedules we create for our children: school, volleyball, basketball, swim lessons, dance, music, soccer camp & on it goes. Do kids ever get to play anymore or have free time?
7. I do therefore I am – the words on a Nextel billboard. We are increasingly defined by what we do in our busy, action-oriented, see-how-much-you-can-accomplish world.
8. so we talk of no time, lack of time, not enough time, being out of time or trying to find more time. This challenge of busyness need to be counter-balanced with the necessity of Sabbath.
Genesis 2:2-3
1. let’s go back to the creation story. For 6 days God created, God worked. The days are numbered off. The 7th day is the final day in a series of workdays, days that are declared good by God.
2. 4 verbs give character to the 7th day – God finished his work…he rested…he blessed…made it holy. These verbs take us beyond the workplace. There is more to life than work. There is God, the God who finished, rested, blessed & hallowed. The 6 days of creation/6 days of work, reach their climax on the 7th day of rest.
3. the phrase God rested from all his work gives us our word Sabbath – rest. The word means stop, take a break, quit. There is nothing devout or sacred or religious about the word.
4. God has woven into the very fabric of the universe the notion of rest, our need of rest. Sabbath rest is the rhythm of creation.
Exodus 20:8-11
1. now we come to the 10 commandments. The 7th day is the only day of creation to be picked up & used as a commandment. The meaning – God’s rest is something that he expects us to participate in. As God does, so he wants us to do.
2. the 7th day comes into full play in the 4th commandment found in Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5. In both the commands are identical but the reasons given for the commands differ.
3. the reason given in Exodus – we are to rest because God rested. This is what God did. We are to quit doing & simply be. This is a Divine precedent.
4. remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy. The 7th day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. This means that Sabbath is keeping time with God. Sabbath is God-centered. Sabbath is oriented around God.
Deuteronomy 5:15
1. the Deuteronomy reason is different. God’s people were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. They lived under oppression. Their lives were work work work. Rest was hard to come by. Vacations were out of the question.
2. the people were commanded to quit work each 7th day in order to rest from their work. Take a break. Find renewal. Experience rejuvenation. Adults, slaves, livestock & children get a day off.
3. the moment we begin to look at others in terms of what they can do rather than who they are, we mutilate humanity & violate community (EHPeterson).
Summary
1. Eugene Peterson in his writings sums up the purpose of Sabbath with 2 words – prayer & play. I think he’s right.
2. prayer = Genesis 2 & Exodus 20. We are to cease from our work in order to rest. This rest day is holy, meaning that in some way it is to be set aside for God.
3. this is where the prayer comes in. Sabbath is a day to seek rest & renewal in the Lord. This takes the shape of community worship, prayer, teaching & connecting in relationships.
4. once a week we need to stop everything & come together around God to be reminded of his centrality & our need of grace.
5. play = Deuteronomy 5. We are to cease from our work in order to play. This means to do those things that bring rest & renewal to our minds, bodies, spirits & emotions.
6. you take a nap, you take a walk in the woods, you spend an afternoon with good friends, you read a good book, you watch a good movie, you listen to your favorite music, you enjoy a leisurely meal with family, you go for a run.
7. God has created us & his creation with a rhythm of work & rest. We disregard it at our own peril. We walk in step with the Divine cadence of creation by observing Sabbath.
Sundays
1. how do we do this? There’s very little sacred about Sundays in our culture. For many people it’s simply another work day. Or a day to get caught up on your work around the house.
2. sporting events have taken over Sundays. Tournaments & games are scheduled. Parents cart kids to this game & that. I’m all for sports. I think they’re good.
3. But what concerns me is the values we are passing onto our kids. It seems that we are teaching them that sports always come before God, that the development of their physical attributes is more important than the nurture of their spiritual lives.
4. there’s very little sacred about this day anymore.
5. here’s the key – if you can make Sunday a day for prayer & play, do it. If you can’t find another day during the week. Find sometime for extended prayer & life-giving play.
New people for a new building
1. for months I’ve been talking about becoming a new people for a new building. Part of becoming a new people are these tipping points that I’m addressing:
à To deal with the sin & shame & guilt in our lives we need to experience God’s forgiveness
à To deal with the noise in our lives we need to practice silence so we can recognize the gentle whisper of God’s voice
à To deal with the busyness of our lives we need to practice Sabbath – stop, take a break, quit – so we can be present to God
Sabbath perspectives from Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis
1. Sabbath is taking a day a week to remind myself that I did not make the world & that it will continue to exist without my efforts
2. Sabbath is a day when my work is done, even if it isn’t
3. Sabbath is a day when my job is to enjoy. Period
4. Sabbath is a day when I am fully available to myself & those I love most
5. Sabbath is a day when I produce nothing
6. Sabbath is a day when I remind myself that I am not a machine
7. Sabbath is a day when at the end I say, ‘I didn’t do anything today,’ and I don’t’ add, ‘and I feel guilty’
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