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Scott M. Marshall explains the significance of the new Bob Dylan tribute album
COLUMNS
Editorial
The Risk of Renewal Groups
Renew Women’s NetworkNaming, Blaming, and Shaming
Mortals & the DivineThe Sweet Soul Music of Al Green
The Next Generation Privatism: An Unholy Fear of Influence
The Great Commission Ministry Beyond the “Nine-Day Wonder”
From the Heart The Sabbath Date Day
DEPARTMENTS
Letters
to the editor
News Analysis Political propaganda pervades Response
UM membership figures show growth outside the U.S.
Bishop Sprague blasts “Christo-centric exclusivism”
British theologian N.T. Wright comes to defense of the Resurrection
Liberal UM activists publish new book on "conservative renewal groups”
Since marriage experts tout the virtues of time spent with spouses, date days are part of many an exhortation on the how-to’s of improving marital intimacy. God is interested in intimacy with us too. I think that’s why he gave us the Ten Commandments. I believe our sacred romancer gave them to us not as a finger-wagging rule-giver, but as one with open arms.
I have known that keeping the Sabbath is an issue of the heart rather than a tally of do’s and don’ts. But, still I admit pondering the prudence of buying a gallon of milk on any given Sunday, or, horror of horrors, mowing the lawn. The commandment to keep the Sabbath holy was given by the lover of our souls and perhaps he had in mind for it to be a regular date day; a loving exhortation meant to enhance intimacy with him.
I got to thinking about what I do in response to the date days that my husband initiates. I realized that five things are true about those times. 1) There is excitement and anticipation. 2) Preparations are necessary. I clean up and change clothes appropriate for the outing. 3) Usually food is involved. 4) I enjoy my husband’s company. 5) I come home with a new lease on life. Perhaps God’s idea of the Sabbath may be much the same.
The excitement and anticipation. When I get an invitation to go on a date with my husband, I think about the event for days before and anticipation builds as the time draws near. David must have felt the same way as he looked forward to worship in the temple. In Psalm 122:1, he said, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”
Paul understood this excitement also. He told the Philippians, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). The Sabbath offers that opportunity.
The preparation. Sometimes the only preparation folks make for the Sabbath is the usual fight in the car on the way to Sunday school and church. But, better alternatives are available. God motivates me to examine my heart before entering the Sabbath. David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24).
Just as showering before a date gets the dirt off my body, confession cleans up the inside. Jesus’ blood covers over all my imperfections and his righteousness replaces my filthy rags. Isaiah says, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness…” (Isa. 61:10a).
The food. A variety of culinary delights have made our mouths water on date days. Popcorn at the movies. Salsa and chips at a Tex/Mex restaurant. Steaks on the grill in the backyard. When I join God on his special day it involves food too.
Job declared, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12). The prophet Jeremiah says, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jer. 15:16). Any Sabbath date day needs the food of the living Word of God.
The presence. The dates I enjoy most are the ones where we’re just together. Nobody else along. Not lots of words. Walking. Holding hands. I merely enjoy being with my husband. Sometimes I just look at him.
Once again it is David who enlightens us. In Psalm 16:11 he confesses, “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” David is so convinced of this that he declares his single necessity in Psalm 27:4. “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
The transformation. Going to work, carpooling the kids, doing laundry, cooking meals, and mowing the lawn can all get to be drudgery. But, one date in any week can give meaning to the mundane. As I’m emptying the dishwasher on Monday, I sometimes laugh about an incident on a weekend date. Or, I smile over a remembered touch. Or, my eyes well up about a word spoken over me.
Jesus taught at the synagogue on the Sabbath and he also healed people on the Sabbath. I’m sure the religious Pharisees were upset. But, I’m positive there were others who remembered the amazement, the praise, and the awe for days later when a man stood and extended his shriveled hand for Jesus to touch (see Luke 6:6-11).
The Sabbath is a gift. The lover of our souls has issued the invitation. Come enjoy a day set aside for divine romance. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exo. 20:8-10).
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