Sabbath

Then [Jesus] said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath.” – Mark 2:27 (NRSV)  

Vacations don’t work. Many come back just as tired from vacation as when they left. The reason is the way we work. Many Americans, across the political spectrum, agree that their purpose in life is meaningful work. That’s why so many of us volunteer in our “spare” time for Habitat or the local food bank; we like work that “matters.” 

So we try to get all our breathing done in a few weeks of vacation or on the weekends—crammed in between the “meaningful work” we pursue. 

But breath is cyclical. You need to do it regularly, not episodically.  

Sabbath is the best of time. It is time that doesn’t feel like “it’s too late.” Or rushed, which has the sound of that car behind you honking at you for not going faster. It is sacred time, not debased time. 

We won’t sabbath well if we don’t change the world of work, the dailiness of our days. When we vacation with the intent of living as “someone simpler” for a couple of days or weeks weeks, we are likely mourning lost indigeneity. Lost folk ways. Lost artisanal ways. Nostalgia is often defined as mourning for the time that never was. Ok. But what about the time that was promised from the beginning? 

The sabbath was not made for humanity but humanity for the sabbath. 

Prayer
Grain-picking God, help us dethrone speed and put the sacred back on its throne, both at work and at play. Amen.

About the Author
Donna Schaper is Interim Minister at the United Congregational Church of Little Compton. Her latest book is Remove the Pews.