Sabbath

Better than Moses: A Sabbath Rest

~ Chad Chambers ~ Leave a comment

We live in a culture that has a very specific mindset about work, a mindset often perpetuated in the Church:

work is accepted, hard work is expected, and overworking is a virtue.

In our brave new world, there are no longer any boundaries. We are constantly connected through technology, no time is off limits. We live in a global marketplace, with globalization no place is off limits. We can, and are often expected to, “be available” at all times, in all places, in every way…and this has become a badge of honor. “Yeah, I work 70 hours a week!” This is not a complaint, but a declaration of importance. Let me cut through the bull and say what we really mean when we say this, “I am so important that my job can’t just have me for 40 hours, the world needs 70 hours from me!”

Into this mindset steps Hebrews 3-4, and it is a confrontation. This is not gentle reminder, soft nudge, or even firm request, Hebrews is going to step on our toes, get in our face, and confront us with one truth:

Hebrews 4:3 – “For we who have believed have entered that rest”

or on the flip side

Hebrews 3:19 – “So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

Do we as Christians know how to rest? For me this is an horrifying question, “What do you mean rest? I am a husband, a father, a professor, writing my dissertation, teaching at church, teaching in the prison! God when am I suppose to rest! Just tell me which of these I should stop doing?” Now we all have our own list and many are way longer than mine. Into this mindset, comes Hebrews and says those who believe find rest.

What do they believe? Well it is fairly simple, that Jesus is the builder of the house! We would be more comfortable with the story going something like The Three Little Pigs offering us a good moral lesson:

What kind of house are you building?

Are you working hard to build a strong house?

But Hebrews asks us do you believe Christ is the builder of the house? If so, stop trying to build it yourself and find rest. This is not legalism of have to spend this many hours a day, a week, a month, a year…but a reminder that we were created for God and everything we do is to be for him. Rest, sabbath, is having space to enjoy God.

When was the last time you had space to enjoy God?

Labor Day – What is rest?

~ Chad Chambers ~ Leave a comment

It is Labor Day here in the U.S., the day where we celebrate labor by taking the day off…

But there is a question that has always intrigued me about our American view of work (maybe the same in other places, but this only first-hand perspective I have):

Do we actually ever rest from work?

I witnessed this dilemma, more so than struggled with it, from an interesting perspective for several years as a golf professional (to clarify a question I have answered many times – golf professional, works at golf course; professional golfer, plays in golf tournaments). As a golf professional, it was my job to create an environment for the members to escape. Now there were a lot things they were escaping from, but one thing often they did not escape from was work. Sure there were times they looked to get away from work, nevertheless, much “work” happened on the golf course:

-Members would bring customers to the course, the “wine-and-dine” round;

-Members would hold staff meetings at the course, the “get-away” round;

-Members would get together with others in the same line of work at the course, the “research” round;

-Members would bring politicians to the course, the “lobbying” round.

What is interesting is that in each of these cases an activity thought of as rest from work provided the impetus to work. In other words, the goal was not to stop working, but to work in a different environment.

And this is the where I think the American view of work struggles, we actually never rest from work, we “rest” from being at work. Vacation has become a time to get out of the office…A day off means not going into the office…but work continues – we answer emails, we read reports, we check the market, we take the phone call, etc. In this age of constant connection, it has become acceptable to get out, but never away.

This is one area I believe the church has the ability to speak prophetically to American culture as we recapture the biblical idea of sabbath. Sabbath is not easily defined, but it at least means to cease working so that we can concentrate on worship. Sabbath is refocusing our activity and attention away from work. Sabbath does not therefore mean that we cease all activity, but it requires not just getting out but away from work.

On this Labor Day can we as Christians reconsider our labor? To include Sabbath as a regular part of our life where we cease to labor? To remind our culture that it necessary to get away from, not just out of, work?