Sunday, September 14, 2025

Scriptures: Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-11, and Mark 2:23-28

Sermon Title: “Sabbath”

When I was in college at Ohio State, there was a Bill that I remember protesting called Senate Bill 5. It was basically trying to take away the right from unions to collectively bargain. Firefighters, police officers, teachers, bus drivers and more were being targeted in this bill.

As the daughter, granddaughter, and niece of firefighters, I just made a simple sign that said, “I love firefighters.” And one sign I remember seeing that I’ve never forgotten was a sign that said, “God gave us Sunday, Unions gave us Saturday.”

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Labor Day. While for most of us, it’s a fun day off usually spent grilling out and maybe going to the beach or a pool. But Labor Day came about as a day to celebrate the Labor Movement in our country’s history. A movement that brought us the idea of a 40-hour work week.

And in a way, it’s really this idea of resting from work that we’re talking about today. Last week we began a series on spiritual practices to help us slow down and connect with God. Last week we talked about the practice of “silence and solitude.” I challenged you all to try to take 10 minutes each day to spend in silence. Anyone try that this week? It’s ok, if not every day, you can try it again this week.

And today we’re talking about the practice of Sabbath. One day of rest to connect with the Lord. We as Christians often think of the Sabbath as Sunday. This is the day we gather as the Body of Christ and worship together. But Sunday was not the original Sabbath.

For the Jewish People, I imagine they might argue with that sign I saw at that protest that dayand say “No, God gave us Saturday.” For the Jewish People, Saturday was and still is the Sabbath.

We as Christians began worshipping on Sunday, because Sunday was the day Jesus was resurrected. Easter was Sunday. And so, every Sunday, we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day, celebrating that we are a People of the Resurrection.

But back to the Sabbath.

Today we heard 3 distinct scriptures about Sabbath.

First, we heard the creation account in Genesis. This is where the whole concept of Sabbath comes from. It is at the end of creating that God rests and delights in creation. And God blessed this day and made it holy, which means set apart.

Now, do I believe in a literal 7-day creation account, no. Do I believe God literally rested? No, God was still God and held the universe together. But I believe it’s a beautiful image of rest and Sabbath.

The closest image I can imagine is to picture a new mom with a newborn, getting in all those newborn snuggles with a newborn resting on her chest and shoulders. Soaking in the baby, being overwhelmed with awe at this beautiful being she created. Now she’s still working, making sure the baby is fed, clothed, has a clean diaper, breathing, you name it. But in this moment of rest, she is soaking in this being she helped to create, she is in awe of this child, and in awe of the goodness of God.

I believe this is what this image in Genesis captures. God is still God, holding the universe together. But in this day of rest, God is in awe, like a new mom in awe of this baby she has created. God is soaking in the beauty of creation, like a new mom soaking in the beauty of her baby she has created.

So that is what the creation account in Genesis has to tell us about Sabbath.

Then in Exodus, we see where the Israelites receive the 10 Commandments, the rules that will govern how they live as God’s People. And many of them make sense to us today. Commands like don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery. But honor the Sabbath and keep it holy? That seems like a strange commandment.

This commandment to remember the Sabbath is something distinct that sets the Jewish People apart.

The Israelites were to rest and do no work after 6 days of work. But I want us to notice something as well about this passage. This wasn’t just a day for the men to sit around and be waited on. Which is something you might expect in the patriarchal culture in which they lived. No, their sons or their daughters, or even their male or female servants were not supposed to work, their animals weren’t supposed to work. Even the foreigners residing among them werenot supposed to work.

As we think about rest and Sabbath, we should be reminded that the Israelites weren’t just to rest themselves, but even their servants and any foreigners residing among them were supposed to rest as well. This is a reminder if you’re a business owner, or maybe just hire people to work for you, how are you treating those who work for you? Are you giving them a day of rest? Are you paying them fairly?

Think about this, the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. They were used to a life of working hard, doing backbreaking Labor 24/7. But now, in their freedom, God has given them a set of rules to live by, and one of the rules is that they are to rest. Think about how momentous this would have been for the Israelites. You are no longer slaves, and now you are even commanded by the God of the Universe, to rest one day a week. And even the people who work for you, whether Israelites or foreigners, they are to rest as well.

What a beautiful reminder of how God has rescued them from slavery in Egypt. What a beautiful reminder of how God has set them free to rest. You are now free to rest once a week.

Remember last week I shared with you that I underlined most everything in the book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” Well, here is something else I underlined, “The Hebrew word ‘Shabbat’ means ‘to stop.’ But it can also be translated ‘to delight.’ It has this dual idea of stopping and also of joying in God and our lives in this world. The Sabbath is an entire day set aside to follow God’s example, to stop and delight.”

One whole day a week, we are to stop and delight in God and the things of God.

How do you take time to stop what you’re doing, stop the busyness of life, and delight in the God of the Universe?

A month or so back I was sitting at the stop light waiting to turn out of my neighborhood on a Saturday Morning. And if you live around here, you will see on Saturdays Jewish People walking to Synagogue on Saturday. And they’re walking because they aren’t supposed to drive on the Sabbath. And while on one hand, we could get into a discussion about their rules surrounding the Sabbath being too strict. But that morning, it was a beautiful Saturday morning, the sun was shining, and I couldn’t help but think what a beautiful idea. This is what Sabbath is all about. Soaking in God’s creation, delighting in God’s creation on a beautiful day with the sunshining.

I even thought about how in our family, and I’m guessing for those of you who had children you remember the Sunday mornings of fighting to get everyone dressed and out the door in time for church. Maybe you all even yelled at each other in the process, and then you show up to praise God and forget that you all just yelled at each other.

Anyone else’s family or just mine?

But as I sat at the stop light, watching the Jewish Families walking together to Temple, I thought, what a better way to get ready to worship. Walking together as a family, soaking in the sunshine, soaking in the beauty of God’s creation as we prepare our hearts to worship together. Maybe we could learn something about Sabbath from our Jewish Brothers and Sisters.

Sabbath is supposed to be a set apart day of rest and worship. A day to delight in God. A day to soak in the goodness of God.

What does rest and worship look like for you? What does delighting in God look like to you? What does soaking in the presence of God look like to you?

For me as a pastor, and is common with pastors, I take Friday off as my Sabbath since Sunday is a workday for me. And I’ll confess, I need to work better on making Friday an actual day of rest and worship. Often for me it turns into a day of cleaning my house while the girls are in school.

But last Friday, on my Sabbath, I was so excited to do something I hadn’t done before. I’m a walker, I love to walk. And so many times I’ve driven over the Grenada Bridge and seen people walking, and I’ve said to myself, I want to walk the bridge one day. I’ve been saying that for probably 3 years. But Friday, after dropping Isla off at school, I finally walked the Grenada Bridge.

I went over one side, then discovered a little garden area, then walked along a little fishing pier, then walked back over the bridge, and when I got to where I was parked, I ran into Ginger and Michael Williams. And apparently, they walk there every day. And I thought it was so funny to run into them because I never walk over there.

But that was one way how the Sabbath blessed me recently. I enjoyed being in God’s creation, then I got to run into people from church, and we walked together a little bit around the park area too. I got to experience community by practicing the Sabbath.

So be open to a day of rest and see what encounters might happen. See how God blesses you and fills your soul.

But our last scripture passage we heard this morning was from the Gospel of Mark. And this scripture passage has a little bit different take on the Sabbath from what we’ve talked about so far.

Jesus and his disciples are going through the grainfields, and the disciples begin picking some heads of grain. The Pharisees see them and immediately begin criticizing them for doing unlawful work on the Sabbath. Picking grain. Jesus tells a similar story of David, and who is going to argue with what the great King David did on the Sabbath?

Then Jesus finished the scripture with these words, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

In other places in scripture, Jesus gets in trouble for healing on the Sabbath.

For the Pharisees who had become so regimented, and rule based around the Sabbath, they needed to hear this, they had forgotten the heart of the Sabbath.

In our culture today, so defined by work and constantly going and going, John Mark Comer has this to say, “We need to hear the first half of that command. ‘The Sabbath was made for man.’ It was created, designed, by God himself. And it’s for us. A gift to enjoy from the Creator to the creation. To gratefully receive.”

Sabbath is a gift from God. It was created for us to enjoy.

Your challenge this week is to find a set apart day to rest and worship. Maybe that’s Sunday, maybe if you work on Sunday, it’s a different day of the week. What does rest and worship look like for you? Maybe it’s a meal with family and friends. Maybe it’s reading on your porch. Maybe it’s going on a walk in nature. I know we have quilters, maybe it’s quilting. Maybe it’swalking along the beach or going for a swim. Maybe it’s fishing. Maybe it’s painting. Maybe it’sgardening. Maybe it’s baking. Maybe it’s a family game night. Maybe it’s simply taking a nap.

What does rest and worship look like for you?

Listen to this question from John Mark Comer. “What could I do for twenty-four hours that would fill my soul with a deep, throbbing joy? That would make me spontaneously combust with wonder, awe, gratitude, and praise?”

Let’s shout out some things that bring your soul great joy. Go ahead, shout them out.

These are all things we might intentionally try to do on the Sabbath, whenever we practice it, as a day to connect with God. As a day to rest, worship, and delight in God and the blessings of God.

So, I want to encourage you this week, find a day to rest and worship. A whole entire day. Find a day to do the things we just shouted out loud. Find a day to do things that bring you joy and awe. Soak in the goodness of God and the goodness of God’s creation, like a new mom soaking in the goodness of her newborn baby.

Amen