Some of us are enjoying more time off that we expected right now. Others of us are busier than ever, which means that we need to think carefully about what a day off or Sabbath rest, is and what it should look like. Here is why I think you need to think about it and why it is an act of rebellion.

I have just finished reading “Thinking Through Creation” by Christopher Watkin for the second time. This is not a review of the book, it is a reflection on one of the quotes that comes towards the end of the book.

The book is about looking at the ideas found in Genesis 1 & 2 as the foundation stones for thinking Christianly about the world. Towards the end of the book there is a section on work and rest (Sabbath). Here Watkin articulates a thought that had been brewing in my mind for some time:

“Finally, Sabbath is subversion, and those who take a day of rest in the week, according to the biblical understanding of rest, are signing themselves up to the ranks of resistance. Every time we take a day of Sabbath, we are declaring to the powers and authorities in the heavenly realms that there is more to life than work, and because there is indeed more to life than work, we are also declaring that we are in step with reality. It is an act of resistance in the midst of a world that makes no distinction between qualities of time, for which all that exists is inert matter, and for which the calendar is just “one damn day after another.”….For everyone it declares that there is a grain, a rhythm, a sense to this creation: it declares that there is a God.” Thinking Through Creation by Christopher Watkin, p131.

The main point here, if you missed with the lack of context and slightly wordy sentences is this: What you think about having a day of rest is determined by a number of things: what you think of God, what you think of yourself and where you gain your identity. These are key ideas that do make Christian’s stand out.

So if you believe that God is God, and that your identity is not in work: join the revolution! Show the world what you believe…by resting. Resting in God’s good kindness and his creation. What you do will be determined by what you believe, but even the act of taking time off is a rebellious act in our world today.

So,Viva la Revolución and take a day to enjoy God!!