7 No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly
banter; God won’t put up with the
irreverent use of his name.
8-11 Observe the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the
seventh day is a Sabbath to God,
your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your
servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting
in your town. For in six days God
made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh
day. Therefore God blessed the
Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.
When I was in Riverside, we worked a
lot with a lot of people. We worked with
the teenagers, many of whom would spend their afternoons tucked away in a
corner of the building smoking, or smoking out.
We also worked with the homeless, some of whom were chronically homeless
having been on the streets for 10 or 15 years. And, as you might imagine, we
had a fair number of issues. We tried to
offer a safe place where people could
receive food, a hot shower, fresh clothes, and God’s grace. We also tried to be a place that didn’t
permit illicit drug use, or enable bad behaviors. Our policies and practices changed over the
years as we adapted to the ministry needs and often, my name carried the
greatest weight for enforcement. People
knew I was the pastor of the church and people knew that the pastor’s word was
the law of the land. That wasn’t my
thing, it’s just how things panned out.
On more than one occasion, in an argument with a church member, one of
our ministry friends would counter with, “Well, Pastor Debbie said I
could.” Generally the church folks knew
better, but that wasn’t always the case.
And some of our friends would even use my name when the police came
through claiming that I had offered permission for this or that or the other.
But the best was when I would come upon someone new and offer a reminder of the
rules and they would argue with me saying, “well Pastor Debbie told me I
could.” That was fascinating. They used my name because they thought it
held power. But they had no idea who
they were talking to or what “power” they might be invoking with that name.
They had just been told that “Pastor Debbie” was the name to use in order to
win the argument.
I can laugh about it now, but at the
time I would get frustrated that they were using my name in vain. I hadn’t
talked to them. I hadn’t given them permission. Yet they were using my name for
their purposes.
I don’t equate myself with God, but
those encounters help me catch a glimpse of what God is getting at when we are
told not to take the Lord’s name in vain.
In simpler terms, the third commandment means, “Don’t use God’s name
carelessly, as if it means nothing to you, or without an appreciation for the
weight it holds.” Said in a positive light, “Use God’s name according to the
power it holds.”
God’s name is powerful. Do you realize that? I think most of us don’t believe that. It’s
just a name. Sure it’s God’s name, but still it’s just a name. But according to
the scriptures, God’s name holds power.
The Jewish scribes who used to copy the Bible by hand would stop every
time they came upon God’s name. They would say a prayer before they wrote the
name and then stop and say another prayer after they wrote the name. Why? Because they understood and respected
the power of God’s name. The scribes
knew it means something when it’s said aloud.
God’s name has the power to bless, to heal, to work miracles. And God’s
name has the power to curse and to destroy. Just the name is powerful. And more
often than not we use it as if it means nothing. We use it carelessly. God wants more than that from us. We are permitted to use God’s name, but with
intentionality, respect and purpose.
Let’s think about it in football
terms: If I wanted to yell a play, I
might say “Blue 32, blue 32” to which my husband replies, “That’s a cadence,
not a play.” And I say, “See, that just proves my point.” It sounds like a play to me. And I want to
sound official, so I say “blue 32” but I don’t have any idea what I’m calling
or what it means, or what the other players are going to do as a result. The calls means something. The numbers, the
colors, the letters, they all mean
something. And if I want to be effective, I have to understand what I’m saying
both for myself and for the other players.
But to be effective, I have to learn the game, learn the plays, learn
the strategies, learn the positions, and learn the calls so that I can get my
team to work together. If I want things
to happen, I have to know what I’m saying and say it with intentionality. So, if in the huddle I call 34 blast, and
then we get to the line and I see the defense has lined up differently, I have
to call an audible to get my guys to move, we’re changing plays, so I call
“Chocolate pudding! Chocolate pudding” which, for us, means “spread 2MO Jet TB
Sweep 27.” Yeah that (indicate the picture). Admittedly, I have no idea what
that means, not even with the picture. I’m just saying what my husband told me to,
but at least this time I could get the rest of the team to do what they’re
supposed to do, unlike when I call “blue 32”. But to be good at the game, to be
worth my salt as a player, I’d have to stop relying on Rick to clue me in and
learn it all for myself.
It’s not an exact parallel, but it’s
like that with God’s name. We might use
God’s name in ways and phrases that we’ve picked up. They seem to sound right,
or make sense to us. Or we’ve been coached to say them. But honestly, we don’t
really know what it means or what might happen if we say, “Be healed in Jesus’
name.” or “God bless you” or even if we
use “G. D.” Unless, we understand that God’s name has power and use it with
meaning and purpose, we lose the opportunity to do amazing things for God’s
sake. If we really appreciated the power
of God’s name and how to use it, we might have the faith and courage to heal
the sick, give sight to the blind, or allow the lame to walk. God’s name has the power to do all of
that. So the question becomes, will we
learn God’s plays? Will we use God’s
name with purpose and intentionality? Or will we just pretend we know what
we’re saying and only wish God would do something?
The next commandment is the one to
honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. I
don’t know why, but it seems like the 4th commandment is taken as
mere suggestion and considered kind of trivial.
I’m not sure most folks even think about what it would mean to practice
Sabbath or keep the Sabbath day holy. We understand what it means to have a day
off…it means you don’t go to your paid job, but instead you run around like a
crazy person doing all your errands, washing dishes, doing laundry, and getting
caught up on house work and yard work.
And most of us think our day off is our Sabbath and if Sabbath is
errands and chores, it’s no wonder we think it’s kind of a worthless suggestion
instead of a commandment that’s meant to benefit us. J. Ellsworth Kalas is a
scholar and a professor and a pretty extensive writer and he translates the 4th
commandment like this: you shall keep the Sabbath for the Sabbath shall keep
you. The Sabbath shall keep you. To understand what that means it’s actually
most helpful to turn to the New Testament.
In the Gospels, we see Jesus heal on the Sabbath and he’s often rebuked
by the Pharisees for breaking the Sabbath…for working. But Jesus argues against them. In essence, he
says, the Sabbath is meant to be restorative. It’s meant to offer healing,
wholeness, and peace. The purpose of the Sabbath is redemptive. And so, when he
heals, forgives and redeems on the Sabbath, he’s fulfilling the law, not
breaking it. So when Kalas says “the
Sabbath shall keep you” he means, “the Sabbath will restore you, heal you, and
offer you wholeness.”
All of that sounds pretty different
from running errands and doing chores.
Because most of the time those things aren’t restful or redemptive for
us. So what is? Well, that depends on the person. For some of us, sleep is redemptive. For some
of us it’s reading a book. For others of us it’s a 20 mile bike ride. Others
it’s a run. Others it’s cooking a meal, for others it’s gardening. For others
it’s crafting. There are lots of things
that help us feel whole and complete, it all depends on who we are.
When I was in seminary, I heard a talk
about Sabbath that was really compelling. I had never practiced Sabbath before.
Like most, I had been dismissive about its relevance in my life. I would go to school all week and work on the
weekends at a church, plus study, read, and write for my classes. Every day was
full. Every day was busy. And every day required something from me. And then I
heard that talk, and she talked about doing things that were good for her soul.
That could include a pedicure or a massage or a good book. And that sounded different and desirable. So
I started practicing Sabbath. Even then, Sundays were a work day, so I decided
to take Saturday instead. Saturday was
my Sabbath. No church work and no school work.
And at first it was really hard. I had intense feelings of guilt. I was
supposed to be productive. I was supposed to be doing things. And I had huge guilt that I wasn’t. I
literally had to fight those thoughts and tell myself, “it’s ok to sleep or
watch movies, today is your Sabbath, you can do work tomorrow.” I fought that
for awhile, and, in time, what I noticed was if I allowed myself to rest on
Saturdays and do what I wanted to do with my time, then when I went back to
work and to school on Sunday, I had more energy and more drive. I wasn’t
fatigued and always asking myself to give and do and be. Instead, I felt
restored, my reserves were being filled on the Sabbath and I was better able to
do my work on the other days. Sabbath
was becoming redemptive. That time
practicing Sabbath in seminary convicted me.
The Sabbath would keep me, it would heal me, fill me, and restore
me. It wasn’t some ridiculous thing God
suggested, it was God’s gift to me and I was meant to enjoy it.
I’ve continued to practice
Sabbath. Each week I have a dedicated
day set aside for rest and restoration.
Admittedly, it’s different with a husband and a child. There are some “jobs” like cooking, diapers, and the demands of parenting that
don’t ever really stop. But instead of
seeing those things as taxing, I try to think of what helps us rest and be
restored as a family. It’s not always
naps, but those help. But it’s play time. It’s meal time. It’s hanging out together. And it’s not work. Of course, there are exceptions. I’ve always
been flexible to do a hospital visit, a memorial, or a wedding rehearsal on my
Sabbath. But, for those things that can
wait, they do. It’s important that I allow God to fill me before I try and do
my job day in and day out. The
scriptures encourage us to work and to do our job well. They also say we should
rest and keep it holy. Holy in the
Hebrew is qadash and it means holy and hallowed, it also means set apart. God is holy for who God is but also because
God is separate and set apart. So in keeping the Sabbath holy, we are meant to
set that day apart and find time with God.
Some of us are wary of that part. We think it means we have to sit and
meditate or pray all day. But I don’t think that’s the commandment. I believe
we can find God in the things we love and enjoy. I listen better for God’s
voice when I’m rested and enjoying life.
I find God in Ruth’s laughter. I find God in my own laughter. I find God
in Rick’s hugs. I find God in a savory meal. I find God in the creativity of a
good book. I find God in the construction of a sewing project. I find God in the restoration of order in my
house. We don’t do every Sabbath the
same. Each Friday is different. But the sacredness is in our time away from
work and the demand to be productive.
The divine is present in the moments where I am receptive to God at work
and I’m more receptive when I’m not stressed and drained.
Most of us have made the mistake of
treating the Sabbath like a time out. We
think if we take a momentary pause from our work, that’s enough. But restoration and redemption take more than
that. If we play a long hard football
game, a two minute time out isn’t going to do a whole lot for us. It allows us
to catch our breath and get a swig of water. But it doesn’t allow our muscles
to relax, our bodies to be cleaned, our mind to stop focusing on what we have
to do. We should play a good game and
give the best of what we have, and take our time-outs, our momentary breathers.
But beyond that, we need the Sabbath. We need a chance to slow down and stop.
We need to not be plagued by productivity. Instead we need to relish and enjoy
the fruits of our labor. We need to
allow God to fill our spirits and restore our bodies. Most of us are convinced we can’t afford to
do that. There’s too much responsibility. There’s too much to do. But really,
we can’t afford not to do it. The
Sabbath shall keep us. It shall be our
life source in the midst of our busyness. It shall be a time set aside for us
to attend to our souls—maybe reading scripture and praying, or maybe simply
being present in the things we love most.
I will say this, the transition can be
tough. You will likely have to quash the voices that tell you there’s no time
for this, that you have work to do, that you need to be more productive. Tell them to be quiet and come back tomorrow.
Your day of Sabbath is a gift that is meant to be enjoyed. Amen.
