OFF

by Nathan Brown

It is remarkable how small things can make a big difference. One of the things I appreciate about working at Signs Publishing Company—the Adventist church’s publishing house in Australia—is driving past the building on Friday evening and seeing the gates locked. It might be only a small thing but it is a visible symbol that we live and work by a different set of priorities.

And perhaps it is such a powerful symbol because it is so out of step with our society. We are increasingly pushed toward 24/7 work, communications and connectivity—and, at the same time as we begrudge such demands made on us, we expect it from others. And then there is the ceaseless chatter of media and news, the wash of information that sweeps over our consciousness.

In a recently published survey, researchers asked how many hours each day were spent on activities ranging from sleeping, working and spending time with friends to time spent online, talking on the mobile phone and listening to music. In Australia, respondents’ answers added up to an average of 37.5 hours a day (Lia Timson, “Home Alone,” Livewire). That means we are filling each day with a day-and-a-half of content. And that’s measuring only what we are doing, without factoring in what we feel we should be doing, what we know is most important and what we wish we could fit into our days.

No wonder so many of us are over-stimulated, stressed and tired. Even if not physically tired, our minds are stretched to capacity. While we may think it possible to fit so much activity in an average day by working on a variety of tasks at once while listening or watching various forms of media and communicating with our assorted gadgets, our heads still need space to catch-up, process, organise and rest.

That’s why we need places that shut their gates—and why I so appreciate working at such a place. That’s also why we need to make spaces in our lives when we turn off the gadgets and appliances, when we disconnect and choose not to feel guilty about it, when we are not defined merely by a job description, title or “to do” list, when we are determinedly not available, not working and not consuming.

And that’s why we need Sabbath. Sabbath is the space God creates for us to shut the gates and turn off the noise.

“The old, wise Sabbath says, Stop now. As the sun touches the horizon take the hand off the plough, put down the phone, let the pen rest on the paper, turn off the computer, leave the mop in the bucket and the car in the drive. There is no room for negotiation, no time to be seduced by the urgency of our responsibilities. We stop because there are forces larger than we that take care of the universe, and while our efforts are important, necessary and useful, they are not (nor are we) indispensable. . . . [S]o we are invited—nay, commanded—to relax and enjoy our relative unimportance, our humble place at a table in a very large world. The deep wisdom embedded in creation will take care of things for a while” (Wayne Muller, Sabbath)

At Signs—as with other church institutions—for at least one day, all the deadlines are unimportant and, belying business wisdom, the demands of customers and relationships with suppliers take second place. Yes, the business might operate more cost-effectively if we chose to work seven days per week. But this reflects our alternative priorities—a business that counts more than the bottom line and is not solely governed by supposed business imperatives.

And the alternative is one of rest and joy:

“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day” (Isaiah 58:13, NLT)

Rather than an imposition on our already busy lives, Sabbath means we don’t have to be busy for at least one day each week—and that reordering of our priorities, our realisation of a larger view of life and the delight of God, will spill over into how we live and work the other days of our week.

So, beginning with Sabbath, let’s celebrate, seek first and find rest in the kingdom-life of God.