Within the course of our time together, we talked about what a challenge it is to keep the Sabbath. Especially when we talk about keeping a 24 hour period set apart without work in the strictest Jewish sense, the idea seems almost impossible.
And yet, it's what we're commanded to do. In general, we don't treat the 10 commandments as if they're optional. We don't say, "Oh well, I wanted to stay faithful to my spouse, but this was just a really busy week." Or, "Yeah, I usually like to refrain from killing people but sometimes life just gets away from me." We don't think the other commandments are optional, so why the sabbath?
The easy answer for people in my tradition is the good ole Protestant Work Ethic that values work as a way of serving God. In general, yes, I agree work can glorify God. But, so can rest! In fact, scripture commands us over and over again to observe the Sabbath and keep it as a holy day of rest.
There is always more to be done. Work finds a way of ballooning to fill the time you give it. To keep the Sabbath means to give it less time. May we keep this commandment together in our own lives and as a community.