I volunteer at a support center where we offer empathetic listening to hurting people who call in. The day I normally “work” is Sunday. While growing up my parents held to strict rules for not working on Sundays, because “Sunday was the Lord’s.”
When I got involved in sports, however, the rule got fuzzy. One team I played with occasionally held games on Sunday. “Sorry, you can’t do it,” dad said. “This day is the Lord’s”. I was confused because football didn’t feel like work — it was fun, exhilarating, and healthy.
Jesus teaches that the Sabbath is not a heavy requirement forced on us, but a gift from God to enjoy. He gave this lesson when the Pharisees caught his disciples picking heads of grain as they walked a field. The Pharisees chided, “Look, they are harvesting and threshing! Shame!” The Pharisees had developed hundreds of rules regarding what one could or could not do on the Sabbath. Remembering and keeping all those laws required work!
Jesus rebuked them noting that God set aside the Sabbath so we could rest from working six other days a week. The Sabbath is his gift, not a burden.
As I type this, it is Sunday, and I am in the call center, between calls, helping people. Later I am going home to throw the football with my grandson.
Do you enjoy your day off?
Dear God, In our busy lives we sometimes run ourselves ragged with work, and forget that you’ve given us a day to relax, enjoy, have fun. May we not impose new rules on our Sabbath that make it heavy and joyless. Thank you for this one day a week when we can play and serve in ways that bring us life — just as you intended. Amen.
Go Deeper — What activities do you enjoy on Sundays? Do they honor God, help others, and deviate from what you do the other six days of the week?
Photo Credit: Jakob Owens