Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. (Exodus 20:8)
Did your parents, or perhaps grandparents, have a set of dishes that only came out on “special” occasions? Perhaps it was a set of china they received as a wedding gift, or dishes they bought on their honeymoon. These dishes only came out for holidays like Christmas and Easter, and sometimes even when the pastor came to visit. Each dish was handled with care, and after the occasion, they went back into storage and the family went back to the “everyday dishes.”
In a way, these dishes were holy. While we usually think of the holy as associated with the divine – with God, holy also means to be set apart or distinct from other things that are alike. A church sanctuary is holy because it is different from our living room. The communion plates are holy because they are set apart from the dishes in the cabinet.
Likewise, Sabbath rest is meant to be distinct or set apart from other time. Sabbath, whether a day or an hour or five minutes, ought to feel like that set of dishes that only comes out on special occasions. It shouldn’t be like every other day, hour, or five-minute break. It’s not the everyday dishes.
When we set apart Sabbath time, it has the power to open us to the divine – to God and God’s presence in our lives. It helps tune us in to other holy encounters, other ordinary moments when God’s extraordinary presence breaks in. Sabbath begets Sabbath.
Set aside some Sabbath time. Unwrap it like the fine china in the closet. Enjoy the special moment and you just may find the veil between earth and heaven to be thin.
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