pilgrim people

At Modern Reformation

About ten years ago an in-flight magazine for United Airlines published an article that identified a common problem amongst Westerners today. “Not so long ago,” the author wrote, “I was just another harried mom, rushing through the day with one thought always in mind: Why isn’t there any time?” She went on to describe how she felt the effects of a crazy-busy life of multi-tasking and over-extended commitments and goals, and then described the uncommon solution she found:

“Now, if someone told you there was a way to stop the onslaught of every-day obligations, improve your social life, keep the house clean, revive your tired marriage, elevate spiritual awareness, and improve productivity at work – all overnight and w/o cost – you’d probably say the claim was absurd. I certainly did. But I was willing to see if some cosmic miracle cure might really work, and after a year of earnest research, I’ve discovered that adherence to a...Sabbath...yields a precious gift of time...My personal life, my professional life, and my family life have all improved, and I plan to go on celebrating the Sabbath.”

Why would this author attribute the general improvement of her life with the practice of celebrating a weekly Sabbath? She gave no indication whatsoever that she was a Christian. She didn’t connect a day of rest with faith in Christ. So how is it that she was able to experience the blessing of a Sabbath? 

The answer, of course, is that God created her, like all human beings, in his image. And part of our function as God’s image-bearers is to reflect God by resting from our ordinary labors, and ceasing from all the buzz and noise of this life. God gave the Sabbath to human beings as a gift to be enjoyed.

Patterned After God's Own Rest

The tendency of many, if not most, Christians today is to think of the Sabbath as a uniquely Jewish practice and something that is not applicable to New Covenant Christians. What we must bear in mind, however, is that the Sabbath predates Mt. Sinai and the national covenant God made with Israel. The Sabbath has its roots in creation, not the Mosaic Covenant.

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Have a look at this short film. While attending the means of grace does not require us to be good (which would defeat the purpose), we - particularly fathers and husbands - should do all we can to prepare for the Lord's Day rightly and set a proper tone for our families on that holy day. (HT: Between Two Worlds)

After preaching on the Sabbath from Exodus 16 ("The Market Day of the Soul"), I was delighted to see this short post from Scott Clark. I look forward to the release of his book, Recovering the Reformed Confession: Our Theology, Piety, and Practice.