Last Sunday, I visited Mars Hill Church in Seattle. It has developed a reputation around the country as a fellowship that tends to be cutting edge. More than the decor or the coffee bar, I was inspired by the honesty of the teacher that day. Pastor Mark Driscoll preached on the Sabbath, and he spoke about his own struggles to honor it. And he gave the best sermon that I have ever heard on the topic. It was funny, full of Biblical wisdom and most importantly, very honest.
Mark took on the legalists who want to punish anyone that walks from their mailbox to their house on Sunday. He also challenged the workaholics who don't know how to relax and have a good time. He explained the historical origins for our current calendar. Taking the words of Jesus, Mark showed how the Sabbath is supposed to be a blessing not a curse or system of oppressive rules to follow. He correctly identified that it is the lack of faith among many Christians in the United States that keeps us from taking a Sabbath.
Interestingly, Americans tend to be the most overworked when compared to other major world economic powers. Consider these figures:
Average Number of Vacation Days from Around the World per Year
Italy 42 days, France 37 days, Germany 35 days, Brazil 34 days,
United Kingdom 28 days, Canada 26 days, Korea 25 days, Japan 25 days
U.S. 13 days.
We need a vacation. Nope! Even better, we need a Sabbath. And as Mark points out, the difference is that a Sabbath is all about a person and his name is Jesus. If you need to party on, consider this wise and witty sermon from Mark Driscoll as a roadmap to how to live a little and take a Sabbath.
Sabbath: Preached 09.04.2005 by Pastor Mark Driscoll
http://www.marshillchurch.org/
