Moving from Racing to Rest (Exodus 20:8-11)

We’ve been working our way through the 10 Commandments this summer, and if you’ve followed along, we’ve done the 5^th Commandment first, then 2 sermons on the prologue, and then Commandments 1, 2, and 3.  We’re on Commandment 4 this week, and then we’ll run our way through Commandments 6-10 in the weeks to come.  In this series, we’ve seen that the Lord cares about our relationships with our parents, our idolatry, our worship, and our words.  Now we will see that the Lord cares about our time.

Time is probably the most valuable resource that people have in this area of the country.  We are extraordinarily busy.  Work often eats up more than the standard 40 hours a week, and commutes eat up even more time.  There are family commitments too.  Getting kids to and from activities, putting food on the table, doing the laundry, cleaning the house, paying bills, and on and on and on.  The 4^th Commandment to remember the Sabbath can feel unrealistic amidst the busy chaos.  But as we will see, the Sabbath is not intended to be a burden.  Rather it is to be a celebration, a joy, and a delight.

In order to get to that joy and delight, we’re going to have to ask ourselves a lot of hard questions about our schedules and the priorities that are reflected therein.  Hopefully, where we land will lead us to a fuller understanding of the Sabbath, one that restores and refreshes.

See you on Sunday.

Frank