There’s a spiritual classic by Abraham Joshua Heschel called The Sabbath.  It’s not a long book.  Though it’s often considered one of those timeless classics about spirituality that deserves to be read and contemplated, and re-read and re-contemplated.  Heschel wrote about Jewish understandings of the Sabbath in 1951.  Yet with slight tweaks to offer more inclusive language, it might as well have been written today. 

We remember how the Sabbath is spoken about from the beginning when we turn to Genesis in our Bibles: 
“The heavens and the earth and all who live in them were completed. 
On the sixth day God completed all the work that [God] had done, and on the seventh day God rested from all the work that [God] had done. 
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all the work of creation.” (Genesis 2:1-3, CEB) 

The work of creation was completed.
God rested on the seventh day. 
God blessed the seventh day.
And the Sabbath is holy because God rested. 
God rested.  God blessed.  God hallowed the Sabbath.

As Heschel wrote, “Six days a week we wrestle with the world, wringing profit from the earth; on the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul.  The world has our hands, but our soul belongs to Someone Else.” (pg. 13) 

I was thinking of Sabbath and rest this past week because I just took a few vacation days myself while my mom was in town visiting from Ohio.  We only get to see each other in-person a few times a year, so it’s wonderful to have the time together. 
I also know that many of you are off to enjoy the July 4th holiday weekend—to maybe rest and relax, to hopefully enjoy time with your loved ones. 
Wishing you a blessed week ahead!

Love,
Pastor Lauren

Photo by Rev. Lauren Ostrout.

Wednesday Thoughts 7/3/24