Wayne Muller’s Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight In Our Busy Lives is a rich resource for anyone wanting to slow down, breathe deeper, and rediscover the joy of the Loving Presence residing within us all.
Early in his book he writes:
Like a path through the forest, Sabbath creates a marker for ourselves so, if we are lost, we can find our way back to our center. “Remember the Sabbath” means “Remember that everything you have received is a blessing. Remember to delight in your life, in the fruits of your labor. Remember to stop and offer thanks for the wonder of it.” Remember, as if we would forget. Indeed, the assumption is that we will forget. And history has proven that, given enough time, we will. (p.6)
The commandment is simple: Remember the Sabbath. Muller’s notion is that all too often we forget. We forget to slow down, to turn off the phone, the computer, the television. We forget to light candles, say prayers, eat meals together, bless the children, make love. We forget to be open to the stillness of God’s deepest joy. And in all our forgetting, we forget who, and whose, we are. We forget we are loved.
Sabbath is a time to remember, to re-member, to call ourselves back to a simple place – undistracted, undistrurbed, and unburdened with the cares of the world – in order to feel God’s Loving Presence at work in who we are. Sabbath is a time to rest, a time to renew, and a time to delight.
Remember the Sabbath!