Deadlines      

by: Pastor Tony Haglund, Canton Lutheran Church  

There is great wisdom in the Jewish teaching that Sabbath always begins at sundown on Friday evenings and ends when three stars can be seen in the sky at the end of Saturday afternoon. The wisdom teaches that we do not stop for Sabbath when we are finished - rather we stop simply because it is time to stop.

Sabbath requires surrender. If we only stop when we are finished, we will never stop, because we are truly never finished. With every accomplishment arises a new task - every swept floor invites another sweeping. Isn't it true that our lives move in such cycles? The sun and moon go round, the seasons come and go. If we refuse to rest until we are finished, we will never rest until we die.

The wisdom of Sabbath says; "stop now!" There is no room for negotiation, no time to be seduced by the urgency or our responsibilities. We stop because there are forces larger than we that care of the universe, and while our efforts are important, necessary, and useful, they are not (nor are we) indispensable. The galaxy will somehow manage without us for a while.

Life's lived apart from the Sabbath slowly get bent towards different goals. We enter so deeply into the tasks and deadlines in front of us that they become the only thing that matters. Have you ever wondered why we call deadlines "DEAD" lines?

Yet the joy of Sabbath commands us to lift up our eyes to the hills and see from where our help will come. Our help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121) Sabbath invites us to behold the magnitude of the universe that we may humbly and joyfully take our rightful place as creatures of our Creator.