Giving Thanks for the Sabbath

 

The Quiet Revolution of the Sabbath

Requiring rest, rather than work, is still a radical idea.

By Casey Sepp

New Yorker, September 30, 2023

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/the-quiet-revolution-of-the-sabbath

Then God spoke all these words,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;  you shall have no other gods before me.

Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work.  But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 

 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.

Exodus 20: 1-2, 8-11 NRSVue

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy

Hello lamppost, what'cha knowing
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain't you got no rhymes for me?
Doo-ait-n-doo-doo, feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy

I got no deeds to do, no promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morningtime drop all its petals on me

The 59th St. Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy) Simon & Garfunkel 1966

Today is Thanksgiving Sunday in Canada and so the lectionary scripture readings will reflect the theme. These are the same passages which will be included in worship for the American Thanksgiving later in November. 

The readings for this Sunday used elsewhere include a portion of Exodus 20 which are the Ten Commandments. This is remarkable because we began a three-week study group this past Wednesday which includes sections of the new documentary from Journey Films called Sabbath. The film is something of a smorgasbord with explorations of the Jewish and Christian notions of sabbath-keeping and sabbath-living but also respectfully considers other traditions in the ways in which they observe holy time. 

In the doc there is reference to the "Great Acceleration" of the post World War II era, the "pedal to the metal" speeding up of every aspect of life, including our consumption of the resources of this precious planetary home. Somehow we have convinced ourselves that our "more and more, faster and faster" pace isn't an insidious form of slavery. 

Our group is smaller than usual -- does sabbath sound just too old-timey to some? -- yet our conversation was rich and as always folk were insightful. 

Since Wednesday one of the members from another congregation contacted me saying that her book group is coincidentally considering exploring sabbath. And then there is recent  article from the New Yorker magazine which considers both the Sabbath documentary and the counter-cultural importance of rest. 

Wouldn't it be groovy if we could all remember to give thanks today for the Creator's gift of Sabbath? 

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