Dear friends,
This week I preached on sabbath-keeping, and how it can make us into braver, more generous people. I spoke mostly poetically about it, painting large brushstrokes over the various ways the sabbath commandments were followed by ancient Israel and could be practiced again today. But some of you are pragmatists, so to balance out the poetry, here are some practicals: my list of the top five things YOU can do to keep the Sabbath.
1) Turn off your phone. I don’t mean silence it, I mean turn it ALL THE WAY OFF, and leave it in a drawer, so you can’t absently check it. Better yet, turn off all the household technology, and enjoy old-fashioned pastimes for a few hours or a day. This is not because there’s anything wrong with technology or inherently better about old-fashioned stuff – I’m no Luddite – but because our technology use often becomes so automatic, we cease to think about it. When we carry phones with us, we are always available for interruption.
2) Prep or postpone your work. For whatever time slot you’ve chosen as your sabbath, whether it’s a weekend day or a random Wednesday evening, make sure to get the work out of the way ahead of time or do it later. For example, prepare extra food ahead of time, so you can eat out of the fridge, and/or leave the dishes in the sink to do them the next day. This might seem baffling. How does this count as sabbath? You’re still doing the same amount of work! But that’s where sabbath differs from vacation. Sabbath doesn’t necessarily reduce our actual workload. Instead, it constrains it – by establishing sacred hours, upon which work may not intrude.
3) Consider other workers. Whose labor makes your lifestyle possible? Many people labor under such conditions that make resting nearly impossible. Can you advocate for a higher minimum wage, or better protection for sick days? Sick days can often be seen as retroactive sabbaths, the consequence of pushing a frail human body too far and too long. Yet people are often punished – formally or informally – for taking them. Then, there are those whose work never stops. Can you generously thank (and tip, if it’s appropriate) the workers who always labor straight through holidays, such as nurses, waiters, and bus drivers? And think carefully before you choose to shop at midnight on Thanksgiving, keeping in mind those who are giving up their holiday for you.
4) Think about a sabbatical. Are you burning out? I have no power over your places of employment and your other volunteer service positions, but if you need to take a break from responsibilities at church, I will back you up on that 100% and we will find others to rotate into leadership. Nothing here is so urgent that it is worth the cost of your health and balance. What’s more, as Presbyterians, we believe in rotation of leadership that gives everyone a chance to stretch their capacities in service. Let go of “I need to do it” and “I’m the only one who can.” God’s got this – it’s not all about you.
5) Brace for impact. Who is going to complain first, when you take a sabbath or sabbatical? Will your children whine about eating leftovers? Will your boss send you angry emails if you don’t pick up your phone on the weekends? For many of us, the biggest complaint will come from within; “BUT YOU HAVE TO WORK,” our internalized guilt system will start loudly and frequently beeping with alarm. Give it a chill pill. The world will continue without you for a day. And perhaps, just perhaps, the peace you experience will eventually spread to those who are initially upset by it.
May you both receive and give God’s sacred gift of rest this holiday.
Every Blessing,
Talitha