But this morning I want to point out that in Jeremiah 17, the transgression which seems to be elevated is observing Sabbath. I want avoid implying that one way of sin is worse, but I do want to draw a lesson from what is written in this chapter of this ancient book of Israel.
Keeping Sabbath is pretty low on our radar, isn't it? Even when we think of keeping Sabbath, we think primarily of whether we attended worship. To keep the Sabbath involved much more. Jeremiah 17 speaks of carrying no burden. Presumably, such burdens would have been related to one's means of making a livelihood. To keep Sabbath is to refrain from work, it is to take our rest, it is to give attention to the Word of God (participating in worship is one way to do that), and it means taking notice of our neighbor. Keeping Sabbath is live-giving.
The refrain I most often hear from you is that Sunday is the day you get caught up on your work. Sunday is the day you outline the tasks for the week to come. It is a popular day for group projects. It would be very difficult for you to turn the tide of your peers and the culture around you. But try.
Try - not out of some misguided fear that God will zap you if you don't - but so that you might experience the life-giving pleasure of having a time to step away from your tasks and attend to the things which are eternal.
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