As a framework for both the congregation and the pastor as they consider a sabbatical are the theological underpinnings of a sabbatical. It builds on the idea of the Sabbath, which is first encountered in the creation story and then reinforced by the fourth commandment. As far as I am aware, the idea of the sabbath is unique to the Jewish/Christian faith. The fact that it receives a different explanation in the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy from that given in Exodus may suggest that the Hebrews knew that it would take more explanation than the other commandments.
A striking feature of the mention of the Sabbath in the creation story in Genesis 2:3 is that it is the only inanimate feature of creation that God blesses. The word to bless carries in its root meaning the power to impregnate. We retain some of that meaning in English when we refer to a pregnancy as a blessed event. The suggestion in applying it to the observance of the Sabbath is that the Sabbath is life generating.
A second striking feature is that from God’s perspective, the observance of the Sabbath is to be applied to all aspects of creation. The Sabbath is to be observed not only for the believer but also the stranger within the gate. It is to be applied to animals, people of all classes, and to the land. Nothing is left out.
Third the Sabbath has a rhythmic quality. That is, it happens every seven days. there is also a yearly quality to the rhythm that applies to allowing the land to rest every seven years. At the end of seven years times seven years, or in the 50th year there is also a year of Jubilee. Here it has a restorative quality where debts are cancelled, land returned, and a fresh start is provided.
In the Exodus version of the Sabbath Commandment, it is built on God’s creation of the universe. That is, the importance of the Sabbath is built into the very fabric of creation. In the Deuteronomy version of the Ten Commandments, the rationale for observing the Sabbath comes out of the escape from slavery in Egypt. The suggestion is that practicing the Sabbath has implications for our maintaining our freedom and avoiding becoming slaves to something else.
Tomorrow we will begin to explore the implications of these theological truths in offering and experiencing sabbaticals in the life of the church.
