Lord of the Sabbath
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).
Read Mark 2:23–3:6
Life in rural New South Wales during the 1950s and 60s was very different to how we live today. On Sunday mornings, my mum, sister, aunt and I donned our best dresses and our hats and gloves in preparation for going to church. Dad shaved and put on his good clothes, including a tie and his good hat. We set off early for church, as we had to allow enough time in case we got a flat tyre on the way. I don’t remember that ever happening.
Church was serious business. Holy communion was celebrated monthly or quarterly (I can’t remember which) and involved a second address and a much lengthier time sitting still on the hard pews. We had a special breakfast on Sunday: cocoa soup (a sort of chocolate custard) followed by boiled eggs. No farm work was undertaken on that day, apart from the necessary milking of cows and feeding of animals.
Everything in the village and beyond was closed on Sundays.
How things have changed! Our busy lives may not allow for a day of rest. More people go to work on Sundays or play sport – in fact, Sundays can seem much like any other day.
I wonder what Jesus would say to us about how we spend the Sabbath. Jesus wanted to free people from the innumerable rules and regulations that governed the Sabbath. He said that the Sabbath was made for us – we weren’t made for the Sabbath.
But have we gone too far? The concept of a day of rest for humans, animals and our world may not be such a bad thing! It may help us recognise that not everything depends on us and that there is more to life than work and pushing ourselves to get ahead. This may need to be balanced with the economic imperative that rules the lives of people earning less than a living wage. I wonder what the world would be like if the division between the richest and the poorest was narrowed. Would we spend our Sabbaths any differently?
Lord of the Sabbath, thank you for making the Sabbath for us. Help us to use each Sabbath in ways that are pleasing to you and glorify you. Amen.
Colleen has a husband, two daughters, three granddaughters, and a wide range of extended family and friends. She lives in Adelaide and loves the way the various parts of her life intersect. Colleen is involved in numerous committees within the church and community. She loves to read. Colleen coordinates her congregation’s prayer group and is delighted to respond to requests for prayer from friends and family.
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