Snow Days and Sabbaths
As I awoke this morning to the heavy, falling snow and rhythmic scraping of snow plow blades, I had this thought: “This is what the Sabbath is supposed to be like. It’s a snow day!”
I believe there's a theological connection between the unexpected gift of a snow day and what God intends for his people to experience each and every Sunday. In fact, a good snow day is only part of the experience God wants to give us every seventh day of our lives.
What do we do on a snow day? First, we smile happily in our beds when we get the news and possibly fall back asleep for a while. For many families, snow days hold the possibility for some bonus fun and play: maybe board games, maybe a trip to the sledding hill or skating at the neighborhood pond, maybe watching a movie that you’ve been wanting to see, maybe catching up on cleaning and reorganizing around the house if you’re into that kind of thing.
A good snow day has a playful element to it.
Additionally, a snow day affords an opportunity to rest: perhaps spending a little quiet time under a cozy blanket with a good book, taking a full-on afternoon nap, or stoking a fire in the fireplace. If you experienced the gifts of rest and play on the same day, you had a great day, indeed!
But God desires to give you a third gift each and every Sunday. In addition to rest and play, God also designed us for a pattern of worship on his special day. This is the Biblical pattern:
Sabbath = Worship + Rest + Play. One out of seven. Enjoy. Repeat.
Likely most of us will not attend organized worship on this Friday snow day (though perhaps our collective prayers of “Thank God, no school!” qualify). From God’s perspective, the worship of the church is like a family gathering. Worship is not only crucial to Sabbath, but it’s the essential starting point. In worship we gather as the family of faith and enjoy the presence of the Giver of all good gifts. Having sung, prayed, listened, and remembered, we can go forth into the wider world to enjoy the other aspects of Sabbath in a more customized way. This is the pattern: Sabbath = Worship + Rest + Play. One out of seven. Enjoy. Repeat.
Whether it’s winter outside or not, every Sunday can feel like a snow day, only better.
I pray you have an awesome Sabbath experience this Sunday as you worship, rest, and play.
Grace and Peace,
- Pastor Gregg