Ok, So This Wasn't The Sabbath Either

Last Sunday I wrote a post lamenting the fact that my day had been so very busy, when it was Sunday, for crying out loud: it's supposed to be a restful, relaxing day, that helps recharge us for the working week ahead. And I referred to it as a Sabbath.

And my very sweet but occasionally snarky sister-in-law pointed out the obvious fact that, actually, the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, not the first; and that the previous day had, in fact included a fun and relaxing visit with extended family, with pizza all around.

Yeah, yeah, I know; the Sabbath is Saturday, not Sunday. Ya missed my point. Or rather, you probably got my point and decided to needle me a little bit about it.

So for the sake of being pedantic, here goes: The principle of a day of rest has been with us from the very beginning, when God rested from His creation on the seventh day. And He used this example as a template for a bunch of "sabbaths" in the Jewish law: the seventh day is a day of rest; the seventh ("sabbatical") year should see the fields lie fallow; the fiftieth year (the year following the seventh sabbatical year) should be a year when all lands return to their ancestral owners, and when all slaves are set free, and so forth.

Now, mister Paul was quite adamant in his writings that non-Jewish Christians were not expected to follow the Jewish law. And there doesn't appear to be any direct command anywhere in the New Testament that requires us to keep the Sabbath traditions. However, as Jesus said, "The Sabbath is made for Man, not Man for the Sabbath". That is, the Sabbath laws were made specifically to benefit those who follow them; not because God is on a cosmic power trip. He knows who we are and what we need, because He designed us; and if we don't get the rest we need, we eventually drop. He knew this, so he gave us the Sabbath.

Now the Sabbath was more than just a day of rest, it was also the day that most religious devotions were carried out. And in this regard, the closest thing that (most of) Christendom has developed to match the Sabbath, is our typical Sunday: we don't go to our jobs; we go instead to church; and then we (some of us) eat really big meals and sleep for much of the rest of the day. We wake up in the evenings able to sing the third A below middle C, and all is right with the world.

And I didn't get that last Sunday (except for the "third A" part), and I tend to get a little surly when I don't get the rest I need--thus last week's post.

But for the sake of Wendy's argument, let's take a look at how my Saturdays have been going lately, shall we? We'll use today as an example.

• I got up this morning and helped get the kids up and dressed, like every morning.
• I then went to on the weekly grocery store run, with two very wiggly girls in tow.
• Upon getting home with the groceries, I then started work on the Backyard Thingy. The patio is now probably about a third paved with cobblestones. It's becoming quite lovely!
• This went to 1:00 pm. I then cleaned up, came inside, and got lunch.
• Then I got into a formal suit, loaded up my harps in the van, and...
• Went to a local church where one of my friends was having his wedding.
• I played at the wedding, then went home for dinner.
• Then I fixed a sink that had been draining more and more slowly for the last several months.
• After that, I drugged my cat. (No, seriously; one of my cats had some dental work done yesterday, and I need to give her some pain meds for the next couple of days.)
• Then I gave said two very wiggly girls their baths.
• After I'm done blogging, I get to do the late-night kitchen chores: cleaning up, and making formula for the Happy Boy for tomorrow.

And lest you think that I'm just giving myself a pity party, I'll go ahead and throw one for my lovely wife:

• Looked after the Happy Boy while I was at the grocery store.
• Put the groceries away while looking after all three kids.
• Looked after the kids.
• Finalized the MOPS budget for the new fiscal year.
• Looked after the kids.
• Made cookies.
• Looked after the kids.
• Did laundry.
• Made lunch for the kids.
• Looked after the kids.
• Made dinner.
• Looked after the kids.
• Helped put kids to bed.
• Mended two dresses.

So, um.... Today wasn't much like a Sabbath either.

I'm taking a nap tomorrow, and nobody better wake me. :-)