THE SABBATH AND REST     

MEDITATION

When I was a child, I had Sunday dresses. I would lay them out on Saturday night, and I knew that tomorrow was Sunday. With that came rest. In the morning I attended Sunday school with my siblings. Throughout the afternoon, my parents would spend time with us. We played together, made music, or went hiking. Today, I am a deaconess, and I still wear a special dress on Sundays. 

Ancient Jews and Christians have known the principle of rest and pause on the Sabbath for thousands of years. It originates from the story of creation when God rested on the seventh day after six days of creation. Since the resurrection of Jesus, the day after the Sabbath defines the rhythm of life for the emerging Christian community. On that day, they came together for worship and fellowship. 

God gave us a day of rest–the Sunday–as a helpful interruption to our busy lives and culture. The day of rest is not bound to one specific day of the week, but it should be differentiated from the other days. The Sabbath is a reminder that our value as human beings is based on more than just our achievements. Physician and theologian Albert Schweitzer appropriately said: “When your soul lacks a Sunday, it will wither.”

We decide for ourselves when we hold that day of rest. It takes time to become still. If I pour dirty water into a glass, the dirt will settle after some time and the water will become clear. It has found stillness. When we seek out rest in silence, our souls will find stillness too. A lot of our deepest thoughts will come to the surface, thoughts that we can bring to God.

Every day I consciously set aside half an hour. I go to a place where I am undisturbed. I come before God, before Jesus, just as I am. He is expecting me. I turn my attention inwards, to my breathing, and then I turn my attention towards my thoughts and emotions. Whatever moves me, I bring before Him with every exhale. I let go and let God. I take my time and conclude with a prayer of thanks. 

Jesus invited His disciples: "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." (Mark 6:31a) Now, He is inviting us to do the same.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION  

• What keeps me from taking a time to find quiet and rest?   
• Do I dare to consciously spend a day without news or phone?   
• God has blessed and sanctified the seventh day. Do I still consider the Sunday holy? Do I feel His blessing over the Sunday?

PRAYER TOPICS  

• We pray for grace to overcome our fear of silence and to be able to just be.  
• We pray for the yearning in our hearts for God’s presence to stay alive and that we make time for it in our daily life.  
• We pray for the inexplicable things that surface from the depths of our hearts when we become quiet. We pray that we do not ignore them but dare to acknowledge them before God.  
• We pray for wisdom and protection for the moments in silence when we are moved by God’s Word.   
• We pray for churches and chapels, places of rest, to be places where people hear God’s Word.  
• We pray for those who feel overwhelmed by work and responsibilities and are unable to leave those pressures behind.

SUGGESTED PRAYER 

Here I am before You, God, just the way I am: rested or tense, empty and dried out, or filled with gratitude, full of longing, or without any perspective.

God, You are the source of life.Come with Your renewing power. Purify me, heal me, so I can become the person You made me to be. Amen.

Sister Lydia Schranz, Deaconess and Chaplain, Switzerland.