Listen

Remember the Sabbath day and treat it as holy. Six days you may work and do all your tasks, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Do not do any work on it—not you, your sons or daughters, your male or female servants, your animals, or the immigrant who is living with you. Because the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them in six days, but rested on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8-11

Think

Rules. They are posted in the hallways and classrooms. There are signs on the way to school that tell us how fast to drive, when to stop, and what direction to go. Rules are everywhere.

Often rules are more about what not to do than what to do. Most of us remember the 10 Commandments by the negative phrase repeated throughout: “Thou Shalt Not.” In the heart of the 10 Commandments we find a rule that is stated positively: “Remember the Sabbath and treat it as holy.” God’s people are invited to carve out time free from work.

In other words, one of God’s most important rules is that there are times when we shouldn’t work. Why do we forget this wonderful rule? Perhaps it’s because we are so used to staying busy. Sabbath feels different. In the middle of our overwork and busy-ness, Sabbath invites us to set some things aside so that new things may grow.

Thou shalt rest.

Thou shalt play.

As we start to follow those “rules” we become different too.

Kyle Caudle

Pray

God of Sabbath, you invite me to set things aside, to let go of work, stress, and busy-ness so that I may hear your voice. Give me strength to set something or some time aside today. Amen.

Go

Rest now in God, throughout the hurry of your day

Finding a space to pause, to pray, to play

And in that space of rest and re-creation

Remember:

You are enough

Because Christ is enough

Amen.