The Sabbath was made for Football?

What will you do this Sunday? Like many across the world I'll probably sit down in front of the TV to watch an apparent important cultural event, the Super Bowl. You know, that event between the great new commercials. It's not the game many of us has hoped it would be (and no I never prayed for the Colts or the Bears to be in it, I simply rooted the Colts on. For good reason I don't think God cares much about football.) but I'll watch anyway. It is a Sunday event. It's the final game of the season and the end to months of Sunday afternoon activity. What comes next? NCAA Basketball? Golf?(The PGA season just started this week) It seems there is always some Sunday activity that steals our focus.

This evening (or late afternoon) officially begins the Sabbath. It starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday. This is the traditional way of looking at the division of days instead of starting and stopping at midnight (after the invention of time, standard time, time zones and clocks.) It's the difference between the Jewish faith who begin their Sabbath by attending to worship on Friday evening and the Christian faith who begin their "sabbath" on Sunday morning. Each is designed to start the day right, to refocus and realign the mind and heart towards God. But it's not supposed to end at worship's last amen.

Something I have foundvery interesting about Synagogue services is that it's not uncommon for a pot-luck dinner almost every Friday night. When worship is over, the community gathers for a meal. It is also not unsual to meet again on Saturday for other activities, continued worship time, and special events. While it is also true that busy Christian churches can have as many gatherings, they are usually for different purposes. In Judaism it's about keeping the Sabbath, something that most of us in the Western Christian Church have lost. We need to learn from our Jewish brothers and sisters and our Muslim brothers and sisters about Sabbath keeping.

There are a lot of Christians today who are like a boyfriend who is always eyeing other girls. We lose our focus too easily. Sunday afternoon meals at the local restaurants, trips to the Mall or Wal-Mart, a movie at the theater or from Blockbuster (or Netflix), a kid's soccer game, or __________________ (you fill in the activities that you do on Sunday afternoon.). It's always something. The focus on God doesn't last long. Our Sabbath has grown ever shorter. Now instead of a day, God barely gets an hour from many of us. Sabbath is not just a day to do whatever we want, a day off, a day of working around the house or napping. It's supposed to be a day focused and rested in God. Not an hour, not half a day, but a whole day.

"But now, take seriously what I tell you. Quit desecrating the Sabbath by busily going about your own work, and kepe the Sabbath day holy by not doing business as usual." (Jeremiah 17:24, The Message). Sabbath is to be about focusing on God and on the things that make for a holy (set apart) life. This can include things like family gatherings, church gatherings/meals, study, prayer, rest all centered on God. Now I'm not saying that when the family all gets together we all should bring our bibles and spend the day in study and prayer (although that doesn't sound so bad to me.). Our time is holy when we do the things that please God, like bonding with your family, serving those who need, setting work aside to read and rest and enjoy the creation and the creator.

That's what Sabbath is for...


...you!


To take and use and enjoy life, enjoy God...Sunday, Saturday, any day, a whole day.

Can you just imagine how life might shift its direction if we live with this kind of focus on God? It's how God planned it. It's how God is waiting to respond.

Make an appointment with God...


...And keep the Sabbath.

Shalom ><>
PC