Sabbath

Ingrid at Slice of Laodicea recently posted an interesting article describing how a 'church' in New Zealand has preempted their Sunday service with a rugby tournament, and that caused me to think a bit about how we (especially in the West) view 'the Lord's Day'.

I am from a Jewish background, where the Sabbath is taken seriously, and that is what I want to address in this post. I am not attempting to right every wrong, or get into some deep, theological debate over whether or not Saturday, or Sunday is the proper day to worship, there are plenty of those arguments all over the web. Quite frankly, I have my opinion, and you have yours, and it is not about a day, but about a heart condition... I weary of people fighting great theological battles 'proving' their position about the 'correct' day, and even at the end of that battle, STILL not understanding about the rest that is to be found in the Lord.

In an observant Jewish home, the Sabbath (Shabbat) is an honored time of setting aside the cares and woes of this world and getting back to the important things of the Lord. Now, I will not bore you with all of the aspects of a Jewish Shabbat, however, I also will tell you that I believe there are aspects that are wrong-headed, such as making the Shabbat an idol, and there are some practices which are just not proper for one found in Messiah, however the CONCEPT of shabbat is important and something that, unfortunately, is lost on most people in the Church. I have talked to many who say 'I am not under the law, therefore why would I do something like this?" A plain misunderstanding about the shabbat; it is not about HAVING to do something, but taking one day of the week and DESIRING to be found resting in the Father.

What many people mean, honestly, is that they will not divide off one day purely for the Lord. Wal*Mart calls, and the mall is packed on the weekend, and of course there are the movies, football games, and children's sports that must be attended to. So, the real answer is; I am too busy to devote one day to the Lord.

First off, in the Jewish mind, the shabbat is not just another day in the week, but is truly a day MARKED OFF for the Lord. Now, Sunday is NOT the Sabbath, it is Sunday; however, it would behoove you to mark off that day for the Lord if you observe on that day. (Again, please remember that this post is not about whether Sunday is correct or not, it is about something else).

So, on to shabbat -- There are several things that are done to mark off this day as special. First on Friday evening, the fine china is brought out, and the table is set as if one is expecting a very special guest. Candles are brought out and lit, there is an anticipatory mood, even by the children. The man of the home (yes, we are politically incorrect in this), then raises a cup (called the kiddush cup), and says a blessing over the wine, then he blesses the challah (if you have never had challah, oh you poor brother/sister!).

Once the bread is broken, it is passed around the table and everyone greets one another with 'Shabbat Shalom' and usually there is an accompanying embrace. The next portion of the shabbat observance is critical as it is lost in most homes today:

The children and wife are blessed by the father/husband. Then the blessing for the meal is spoken.

Then, as in all good Jewish celebrations we eat!

In all homes that remain true to shabbat, there is no TV, no radio, but there is a study of the Word of God, and singing of songs. I must admit, the closest I find to this is in the Reformed concept of Family Worship.

On Saturday morning, the family gathers to go to shabbat service, and at the end of the service, there is a celebration (again we eat), called an oneg.

Many observant Jewish homes will not even turn on the stove on the shabbat, abiding by the instruction to do no work. I have to admit that I am not THAT observant, but one of the great things about shabbat is cholent, a dish some might call a crock-pot type of dish. It is great, and it seems that everyone makes it a bit different.

At the close of the shabbat, Saturday evening, there is a havdalah service in which the candles are lit, and a mix of spices are passed and inhaled. As the beautiful aroma invades the room, it is a time to focus on the light of the world, and the sweet-smelling aroma that is Messiah Yeshua, Jesus the Christ.

A beautiful celebration, oft misunderstood, but when properly observed a celebration that brings all members of the family into a laser focus on the Lord.

Compare this with the modern church family's 'Lord's Day' (I am generalizing. Please forgive me, if this is not you, then feel free to ignore. However, if this does describe your family, maybe you should re-evaluate your priorities.):

The family rushes around in the morning, shoveling food down the gullets of the kids, and gulping coffee as everyone rushes (because, after all, we sleep until the last available moment, rather than anticipate the Lord's Day), to get dressed, put on their make-up, comb their hair, and ensure that they catch the morning news.

Often there is no Bible reading, nor is there even a reference to the Bible except the ubiquitous, "Has anybody seen my Bible?", and in today's church environment, I am not even sure that is asked anymore!

Everyone piles in the car for a high-speed run to the church, getting there after the music has started (dad doesn't like to sing, so we get here a bit late), and quickly coming in and sitting down.

The family goes through the service, and immediately upon the final 'amen', everyone rushes back out to the car, because, after all, the BIG game is on today, and dad has fifty bucks on the hometown heroes. Once home, mom gets the kids settled in; little Jimmy, safely ensconced behind the pad of a gameboy in his room, Sally on the cellphone with her friends, Bobby in his room playing Doom on the computer, and dad in his 'comfy clothes', chips and beer at hand, to watch the game. She then departs for the mall to 'window-shop' and get out of the house for a bit, letting dad be the responsible adult for a few hours.

When mom returns home, she is beat, it has been a long week, so they all head to McDonald's for burgers and fries, returning home to face another week.

How restful, how peaceful, how focused that is!

It is time to bring back the rest... Stop the games, stop the shopping, stop the madness, and truly bring the family into focus, at least once a week!