Jun 25, 2018
by Scott Hausrath
Whenever a package shows up at my doorstep, I’m excited. I’m excited, because it means I’m receiving something, I’m getting something. We all love to get things, don’t we?
Most of the packages I receive are shipped via UPS or FedEx, because they are something I’ve ordered from Musician’s Friend, Sweetwater, Amazon, or another online retailer. What is it this time? An addition to my drumkit, some new PA equipment, a book, CD, or DVD that I have been looking forward to? If I’m at home when the package is delivered, I love hearing the sound of that truck barreling down my street and into the driveway. It brings a big smile, a fist pump, and a celebratory exclamation: “Yes! Here it comes…”
In some ways, the Sabbath is like that package that I’m anticipating, and in other ways it’s very different. Like that package, the Sabbath is being delivered directly to me, Scott Hausrath. I don’t need to go anywhere else to get it. It comes right to me, straight from the hand of God. What an amazing honor, and privilege, to receive a personal delivery from the One who created the universe! But I’m not the only one who receives a package on the Sabbath. God delivers a Sabbath package to everyone. And He doesn’t just send it once and be done with it. Each week He personally delivers to each of us a Sabbath package. What a blessing!
Another similarity between the Sabbath and that package at my doorstep is that once the Sabbath has been delivered to me, it’s up to me to do something with it. I have the freedom to ignore it, if I so choose— just leave it outside or in my dark garage. But why would I choose to do that? I also have the freedom to bring it into the house, and then toss it, unopened, onto a pile of other unopened packages, if I so choose. But, again, why would I choose to do that? A number of years ago, one of my old friends secretly sent a huge box to his house, addressed to himself, with no return address. He let it stay outside, on his front porch, and whenever his friends came by they urged him to open the package—but he just played cool and said he’d get to it when he’d get to it. His friends couldn’t believe he had something just sitting there, waiting to be opened, and he wasn’t interested in opening it! Why would I choose to do that with the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is a gift that is meant to be opened, and then unwrapped, moment by moment, for 24 hours. Can you imagine opening birthday gifts, or Christmas gifts, for 24 straight hours? That is an unfathomable concept—and yet that’s exactly what the Sabbath is all about. It’s a package that is stuffed with so many wonderful things, that it takes a full day to fully unwrap it. How cool is that?!
Another choice I need to make when I receive a package at my doorstep is whether I’ll share its contents with anyone else. If it’s a box of gourmet chocolate, will I be a pig and eat it all myself, or will I eat some of it, and share some of it with those who visit me? Regarding the Sabbath, it seems that some portions are meant to be shared with others, while other portions are meant to be savored separately. We typically share the Sabbath with others as we gather together for corporate worship, study, fellowship, eating, and service. We also enjoy separately other Sabbath activities, such as taking Sabbath naps, or engaging in special Sabbath devotionals and personal times with God. What’s interesting about these latter activities (or lack of activities!) is that, though they are experienced separately, the benefits are shared with others. Beginning a new week with a freshly rested body and with new insights about our connection with God, enables us to more effectively share with others His presence in our world. Sabbath rest, rejuvenation, and recreation build individuals who build communities.
What are some differences between the Sabbath and that package at my doorstep? First, while I pay for the packages that UPS or FedEx send me, the weekly package that God sends is always free. It’s one more of His many gifts to us. The Sabbath is also automatic. It comes every week, whether or not I “order” it. God built it into His creation. The Sabbath is part of the fabric of this world.
The Sabbath also always arrives at its destination, and is always on schedule. God’s packages are never lost—but sometimes one of my packages is delayed, delivered to a wrong address, or never arrives at all.
Another huge difference between the Sabbath and that package at my doorstep is well illustrated by my latest purchase. Today I received a box of power conditioners (so when I plug an expensive electronic device into the wall it’ll be protected from power spikes and surges). Power conditioners are great at what they do, but they’re one dimensional. They do only one thing. The Sabbath, however, is multi-dimensional. During the 24-hour process of unwrapping the Sabbath, at one moment I’m joining my church family in praising God through music; at another moment I’m studying God’s word; then I’m sharing a meal with precious sisters and brothers; and finally, I’m sitting in my recliner, communing individually with the One who created me. The Sabbath is unlimited in its breadth and depth.
Another way to note this contrast is to describe each item arriving at my doorstep as physical and temporal, but the Sabbath as spiritual and eternal. A power conditioner connects me to a clean source of electricity; the Sabbath connects me to the One who created electricity. Both are needed, but the latter is the foundation of the former. A power conditioner grounds my stuff; the Sabbath grounds my soul.
A final contrast between the Sabbath package and the everyday package is this: “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy” (Genesis 2:3). Though I don’t fully comprehend all its nuances, I do understand that the 24-hour period God calls Sabbath is foundationally different from any other 24-hour period of the week. The Sabbath is a gift that we can unwrap at the end of each week. It helps us to appreciate the week we’ve just experienced. It helps us to anticipate the week we will experience. The Sabbath helps us to look back, look forward, look inward, look outward, and look upward. Nothing that arrives in a cardboard box at our doorstep could offer us the depth of blessing that the Sabbath offers. The Sabbath is the perfect gift for spiritual creatures in a physical world.
Do you love to get things, and to share them with others? The Sabbath is coming. Are you eagerly anticipating its arrival? “Yes! Here it comes…”
