June 23

Exodus 20:8 — Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.

If the Spirit leads, this will be the first of a few devotions on the Sabbath.

Part of God’s provision for us was a rhythm for life. The earth’s rotation about it’s axis provides day and night. It’s rotation about the sun gives us summer and winter. But God gave us another rhythm; six days to work and another special day — a holy, separated day. (I know we can find other rhythms in the Bible too — the Jubilee, for instance.)

What has happened to God’s rhythms in modern life? We have deconstructed them. We travel across time zones and destroy the patterns of night and day. We cool the summer and heat the winter and transport foodstuffs across the world to eliminate the seasons. Most of all we have set aside God’s weekly cycle.

Are you thinking “ho hum, here comes another lecture about going to church, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together … “? No, no, I want to go another way, knowing that most of those who read these devotionals are probably believers, good church goers …

What do we do on the other six days of the week? Remember how the scripture continues? Exodus 20:9 says “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.” So what do you do on the other six days? You see, I think most of us fall into four groups; those like me, working a five-day week; those who are retired; those who are unemployed and those who are wives and mothers (who, let’s be honest, are more or less on a seven day, non-stop pattern!) Very few of us, now, follow God’s six and one pattern.

As this devotion came into my mind, I realized that I haven’t answered the question for myself yet. I work five days, and with the blessing of a wonderfully supportive wife, I do a fair job of keeping the sabbath day holy … But what am I doing on that sixth day? What should I be doing?

How about you? If you’re unemployed, or retired, or working some “different” patterns, or a busy wife and mom, what do “six days of labor” look like to you? I haven’t worked it out (cut me some slack, I’m just a student not a theologian or even seminary-trained …) but I think it should go with the two commissions — the “great” commission to make disciples and the “cultural” commission to “have dominion over the earth” (laid out in Genesis 1:26-28).

If you feel inspired, let me know … What do six days look like?