By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
I wish we Christians observed the Sabbath (the Lord’s Day) the way in which so many of our Jewish brethren observe Shabbat. We all need rest, a refocusing on the things of God, and a deeper day-long and into-the-night worship of God.
We need, as the late Rabbi Abraham Heschel described: “An island in time.” I liken it more to an oasis in every week.
God Himself tells us through His Ten Commandments: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy.” It is a commandment from Almighty God – one of the fundamental 10 out of 613 – yet we barely give it a glancing notice.
God knows best. We need a full day of physical and mental rest and recuperation each week: I know I do. Granted, there are mission-critical, essential people – soldiers, first-responders, medical professionals and the like – who have to work. We always have to have the vigilant watchman atop the proverbial wall, and I get that. But most of the rest of us need not work on the Sabbath, nor should we.
Regardless of whether-or-not the Sabbath is observed on Saturday or Sunday (and we’ll save that for another discussion), there should, in my personal opinion, be NO work done whatsoever on the Sabbath.
There should be NO emails or texts related to work sent on the Sabbath.
There should be NO phone calls made related to work.
There should be NO getting ahead of the week’s work.
There should be NO catching up on work.
There should be NO thinking about work.
There should ONLY BE worship, prayer, reflection, a return to Scripture, rest, renewal, a return to a sense of peace and reverence.
No, our business will not collapse in the span of 24 hours. On the contrary, I would argue that consistently (religiously if you will) and committedly observing the Sabbath will enhance our productivity in myriad ways, not the least of which would be simply being in “right relationship” with God.
I remember as a kid playing outside of our house on a Sunday morning before heading to church, and several of us would be running and shouting. My dad would suddenly appear at the door and quickly admonish us: “Don’t yell,” he’d say. “It’s Sunday morning.” Dad’s words resonated with me. It didn’t mean we could not play or have fun. But it did mean that we needed to be mindful of the day and the significance of our thinking about and approach to it.
I also sometimes wonder if the Sunday blue laws I remember as a kid should not still be in force. True, the blue laws were often considered to be an inconvenience – restricting certain work activities and banning the sale of specific items; primarily alcohol and non-essential goods – but they were deemed as a means of protecting workers and families, “contributing to societal stability and guaranteeing the free exercise of religion,” as stated in multiple studies since regarding the overall good of society. Moreover, the blue laws were a reminder of the tenor, if you will, of the day.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy.” Not my words. They are not even something gradually emerging over the centuries from church tradition. They are, again, God’s words, His commandment: The third, sometimes considered the fourth, of His BIG TEN.
All this said, I cannot control – nor do I want to be responsible for controlling – the irreverence and brokenness of this world. But I can control me.
– W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a New York Times bestselling editor and military technical advisor. Visit him online at uswriter.com.