On the Importance of Not Working

"...but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates."

- God to Moses, Exodus Ch. 20

" 'Yo ho, my boys.' said Fezziwig. 'No more work to-night. Christmas Eve, Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer. Let's have the shutters up,' cried old Fezziwig, with a sharp clap of his hands, 'before a man can say Jack Robinson.' "

- Fezziwig, in Dickens' A Christmas Carol

I think we forget, sometimes, that God invented Saturday. It was His idea.

I love Dickens' A Christmas Carol - always have - and I love when Fezziwig (Scrooge's old boss) jovially and emphatically insists that Dick and Ebenezer knock off work right now and join him and all his family and friends in an evening of raucous merrymaking. His attitude is, "It's Christmas Eve! What are you doing still working?".

Who wouldn't give their eye teeth for a boss like that? One who cheerfully orders you to take a day off, relax and have a party on his nickel? We can't even seem to take time off very well anymore. There is always some chore that insinuates its way into our downtime. Even outside of our normal work, our lives are so crowded with activities that taking a whole day off every week to really do nothing seems lazy and irresponsible. We often look at Sunday as not much more than an obligation to go to church. Another chore on top of all the others. But God knows us much better than we know ourselves. We need time to do nothing in particular. We need to carefully plan some time when we have no plans, and guard that time like a mother badger. That time ought to be on Sunday.

There was a time when Christians took the idea of the Sabbath more seriously, but many got that wrong, as well. I remember reading one of the Little House books (by Laura Ingalls Wilder) and particularly a description of a typical Sunday; the family went to church, of course, but afterward they were allowed to do nothing except sit or perhaps read, but then only the Bible. Even the little children must simply sit. Playing, running, whistling or even kicking one's legs was considered irreverent and inappropriate for the Lord's Day. I think maybe that was even more wrong-headed than our own slovenly approach.

It seems to me like we ought to plan our divinely mandated play day with more emphasis on play. I even kind of like the way the weekend has expanded into two days, paying homage to the old Sabbath and celebrating the Lord's Day, too. Hey, I'm for that. Count me in. Why, when we think of God's command to "do no work", must we imagine Him with a scowl? Jesus isn't a Puritan, keeping an eye out for anyone having too much fun.

I prefer to imagine Him sounding more like Old Fezziwig, saying "Yo ho, my boys! No work today, it's Sunday!"

Comments

[The Aesthetic Elevator]

Great series friend. Both important and often misunderstood in our culture today.

[The Masked Chicken]

Tim J.,

Could you take a look at Jimmy Akin's blog? I think I either found a bug in typepad or I accidentally messed up his site so everything links to the Bulwer Lytton site contest for the worst opening sentence for a novel (I was making a link in response to something Sleeping Beastly was talking about).

Thanks and sorry.

The Chicken