Hi there! I’m Christopher Greco, our summer pastoral intern. You may have seen me around on Sunday mornings recently, and I wanted to take a moment to say hello and share something on my heart. I’m a longtime member of our church and have just completed my first year at Boston University School of Theology. This summer, I’m excited to be back, deepening my call to ministry through service, action, and word.
In the last year, I focused much of my studies on the general things I need to accomplish my degree. In those required classes, I found my passions continue to seep through. For example, I took a class on the Hebrew Bible (aptly named Introduction to the Hebrew Bible) where I wrote my semester research paper on the concept of Sabbath as laid out in the Old Testament (and supporting extra-Biblical evidence).
It can be hard to step into the “real world” and see an intentional, once-a-week Sabbath rest as a realistic practice, especially when you’re working, raising kids, managing a household, and juggling all the other necessities of life. But we are not called to be work horses until we die. Sometimes, everything feels like it asks a little too much of us, and life takes a backseat. Our ancient ancestors in faith understood this well, but somehow we stray from understanding. Our contemporary concept of Sabbath as a hymn-singing, pastel-clad church service in rows of pews is far different than the Sabbath of antiquity.
As instructed in Exodus 20:8-11, we are called to live and work six days a week then rest on the seventh (nowhere does it say it has to be Sunday). When Moses hiked himself up Mount Sinai, he was told explicitly that we are to rest – and, moreover, that we’re not to force others to work on that seventh day, especially after being freed from the tyranny of the Egyptian empire.
Theologian Walter Brueggemann said, “How strange to use the most airtime at the mountain on the Sabbath command. The divine utterance must have come as a shock to the listening Israelites. There had been no Sabbath in Egypt, no work stoppage; no work stoppage for Pharaoh who worked day and night to stay atop the pyramid.” God wants your rest. He wants your play. He wants your kids to enjoy this summer and you to enjoy the company of loved ones. He wants your worship.
This week, I want to charge you to truly corner off one whole day as a rest. It doesn’t have to be Sunday, but spend it enjoying God’s gift of life. Don’t look at emails or checkbooks. Instead, eat some great food, spend time with loved ones, pick up a hobby that just seems to be gathering dust. For one day this week, celebrate the gift of creation and simply REST.
