It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” – Exodus 31:17

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 10, 2018): Exodus 31

Saint Teresa of Avila once commented that “Love turns work into rest.” Teresa was a pioneer of the contemplative movement, a believer in “mental prayer” and a nun who believed that prayer and contemplation was the prime task of the Christian. But maybe what Teresa highlights in her comment is the difference in our definitions of work and rest. If Teresa’s prime work was prayer, then it is easy to see why she would think that love could turn work into rest. It is impossible for me to love and not be involved in lifting those that I love up to God in prayer. What sometimes confuses the issue is that the fourth commandment directs us to observe a Sabbath rest. If my prime work is prayer or leading a contemplative life, does that apply? Is there only one definition of rest?

I grew up in a culture where rest meant to enter into some form of contemplative activity. As a child, and long after I had entered school and had given up my daily nap, Sunday was still a day where the nap was enforced, something that never went over well with me. And in practice, when I was young, rest was always interpreted as the absence of anything physical. Playing quietly was allowable. Sitting around and talking with adults was acceptable. But anything that might cause your heart to speed up was banned. And don’t even ask if we can get an impromptu football game going on the field across from the church. These activities were banned because it was the Sabbath, or rather the Christian alternative, the Lord’s Day.

But maybe a question that exists beneath the surface is this: What does it mean when the Bible says that God rested? Did God enter into an “activityless” state, or was it something else meant by these words? And how long did that rest last? It is hard for me to accept that God entered a state of a lack of action as he rested. What does seem to be logical is that God ceased from his creative duties, and became the sustainer of all that he had created. God never became silent, but he did change his focus.

If this is true, then maybe our idea of rest is wrong. There is no doubt that the observance of a Sabbath rest allows us to attend worship and, even for just a moment, remove our focus from the day to day things that we do on this earth and consider the majesty of the One who created us. But if we are to follow the example of God, then maybe our Sabbath rest is simply doing anything that we do not normally get to do. And it might be that Sabbath looks very different for various people. For some, sitting and reading a book and entering into contemplation is a proper Sabbath activity. For others, it might be playing football, or even chopping some wood. Whatever it is, celebrate the Sabbath doing something that refreshes you, and is different from what you would normally do.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 32