Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work. Exodus 20:9-10 

Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” Mark 3:4 NIV

This commandment, the third as we count them, is interesting to actually read again. Six days of work, one day off. That’s the same day off for everyone, a day called the Sabbath. Going back a few generations, Christians did keep Sunday as a day of not working. Although never as strict as the Jewish Sabbath, businesses were closed, offices were closed – you couldn’t buy gasoline or groceries.

This was to be rest from those six (6!) days of working hard. Very few jobs require six days of work in a week anymore. We have weekends! My father managed a bowling alley in Bloomington – Cedar Lanes. He did work a six-day week with Thursday as his day off. One Sunday Pastor Engelstad preached about the importance of observing the sabbath. That afternoon, as my Dad was working the four to midnight shift, the church youth group along with the pastor, came over to bowl.  Dad did ask if was ok for him to be working on Sunday – and the pastor agreed that recreation and other things like that do happen on Sundays. Of course there are all the essential services that need to happen on Sundays, like health care, firefighting, feeding those who need it and so much more.

There are some people who work more than one job to make ends meet  and may work every day of the week. Others who work five days and get a weekend and holidays. No matter, we all need rest. We need time to relax, to have time to go to church, pay more attention to God’s word. Time to spend with families and friends and pursue relaxing hobbies. Time for fun. As Jesus asks, should we do good and save lives on the Sabbath? Of course we should.

Rock of our salvation, we are a tired and weary people. Our time and talents are often exhausted from pursuing our own goals instead of your will for our lives. Give us true rest and renewed strength so that we may be good stewards of your creation and faithful messengers of your saving grace. Amen.

Chris Gabel

Ministries
Teaching Mission Party