Tuesday evening, Fr Kevin Peters kicked off our Lenten Speakers Series by helping us to reflect on how we keep Sabbath. I was reminded of the old saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Many of us live to work, rather than work to live, because productivity and achievement are at the heart of our work ethic.
Our days and our weeks are consumed by activity as we rush from place to place, task to task, one more meeting, sports event, call to make, item to buy, thing to do. Fr Peters reminded us that we all hunger for rest; that keeping Sabbath offers us the God-given gift of rest whereby we deepen our relationship with God, ourselves and others. During Sabbath, we switch to “God time”, the quality of our time for each other.
Finally, Fr. Peters suggested we live with the attitude of keeping Sabbath each day and see how our life changes. Adopting a Sabbath attitude keeps us balanced throughout every facet of our lives. It allows us to see the work we do as part of the big picture, to know we are more than our jobs, more than the roles we play; we are God’s blessed creation.
How do you mark the Sabbath in your home today? In what ways are your practices like those in your home while growing up?
What would you like to change in the way you celebrate Sabbath?