Sabbath and Judges

    For the past year or so I have been collecting books to read about Sabbath. I was so captivated by the idea of Sabbath because I knew I was failing at it. So I spent hours reading, thinking, praying about what God was doing with the creation of the Sabbath. I finally settled into the comfort that the Sabbath was made for worship and rest. This morning during devotions and last night, listening to the most recent sermon from House for All Sinners and Saints, I realized that when I'm really tired, bone tired, I often push God away. All I want to do is drop into a deep sleep, not rest in the presence of God. Sabbath rest is about renewal - growing closer to God. Worship, eating long meals with friends, reading good books, snuggling with cups of tea. I try to have Sabbath moments throughout each day, but I also know that I, and others, need one full day where the totality of our attention in intentionally pointed at God to remember who we are.
     This past Sunday, the liturgist asked from the pulpit why I put my schedule in the bulletin and included my Sabbath. She said that it was really just my day off and didn't give me a chance to explain myself. There is a chasm that exists between Sabbath and day off. Both are vital, but they do not exist for the same purpose. A day off is a time to run errands, fill with what you want to do, and just go through life, minus working for a day. Contrast that with a day totally aligned with feeding your soul. Do you see the difference? We need both in our lives, but the culture that we live in says that any day you aren't at your job, is just another day off. What a tragedy.
     For me this is especially important as a pastor. It isn't just about semantics, because my work days are filled with caring for other people. They are filled with gingerly holding other people's pain and stories, and there are times when it just seems that one day flows into another without any time to rest and reflect. Yesterday during devotions I was reading the story of Micah in Judges 17, how he took a Levite into his home and made him his own personal priest. I live in fear of slipping into that type of situation, where other people start to own me in my profession before I even realize it, and compromise who I am as a beloved child of God. I need Sabbath to prevent that. I need Sabbath to remember who I am and to stand firm in my call. We all need Sabbath, and not just another day off.