職場和安息日

By Jim Mathis

很多人都掙扎於沒有足夠的時間將事情完成。老闆總是希望我們24小時待命。自營者想要有幾天，甚至是幾個小時喘息的時間都很困難。研究表示，如果我們不休息養精蓄銳，我們的生產力就會戲劇性地下滑。

在聖經創世記的故事裡，神在六天中創造了世界，在第七天祂休息。一週的第七天是安息日的概念甚至被納入十誡。耶穌也教導我們，遵守安息日的誡命不僅僅是在遵守規定，安息日是一個為人所創，能夠休息、反省和恢復的日子，也是一個能夠慢下腳步，享受神所創造美好世界的日子。

耶穌被釘十字架之後，祂在第三天復活。也因此第一代的基督徒開始慶祝復活節。幾個世紀以來，一週的第七天是安息日已經變成安息日是每一週的第一天。對我來說，其實是很令人困惑的。我們到底應該在星期六或是星期日休息？是不是月曆其實是標錯了？

不過最近我開始明白其實安息日是一週的第一天，也是最後一天。我們要尊重安息日。我的太太稱安息日為「真正的星期六」，是一個休息、反省、恢復、花時間和朋友相處、吃飯或是單單只是享受生活的時間。星期日則是榮耀耶穌基督以及紀念祂復活的日子，是把時間奉獻給神，如同奉獻初熟果子，以及開始新的一週的日子。

星期六，是一週的第七天，也是休息的日子。星期日，是一週的第一天，也是崇拜 神，重新得力的一天。利用假期去宣教，或是在他們的教會服事做義工的人，其實都知道星期日往往是最有壓力的日子，並不是休息的日子。雖然沒有工作上的責任，但是要把全家打理好準時上教堂，也是一件很不容易的事。

因為有這樣的概念，所以我自己經常在星期日的下午就開始著手下週的計畫，把我的行程表有次序地排好。這對我來說很合理，因為我知道星期六我已經休息過了，而星期日是每一週開始的第一天，也是把初熟果子獻給神的時候。從星期日開始就要開始工作到下個星期六(真正的安息日)，所以在星期日我要在心態上、身體上以及精神方面都做好準備。

我和我的太太這麼做，不代表每個人都要跟我們一樣。我們花時間好好地休息，也把星期日訂為正式崇拜的日子。如同耶穌所說的：「安息日是為人設立的，人不是為安息日設立的。」(馬可福音 2章27節)

我們需要休息，讓我們能在身體、心裡上、情緒上和靈性上重新得力。關於這一點，我們的神，也是我們的好牧人在詩篇二十三篇告訴我們：「耶和華是我的牧者，我必不致缺乏。他使我躺臥在青草地上，領我在可安歇的水邊。 他使我的靈魂甦醒…。」神要我們好好地休息，有熱情，預備好去做祂要我們做的事情或是迎向未來的挑戰。

吉姆.馬提斯在堪薩斯州陸路公園市經營一家照相館。他的專長是商業和影劇界人像。他也經營一所攝影學校。他曾是一家咖啡店的經理，也曾是CBMC在堪薩斯州堪薩斯市和密蘇里州堪薩斯市的執行主任。

反省與問題討論

1. 當你聽到「安息日」，想到的第一件事是甚麼呢?
2. 把安息日看成是一個榮耀神的日子這個傳統，被很多人淡忘或是放棄了。你把安息日看成是休息的日子嗎？如果是，你怎麼過安息日的？如果沒有，可以分享你的理由嗎？
3. 有些人認為十誡第四條說：遵守安息日(記得它，並且把它當成一個神聖的日子)，在二十一世紀的今天已經不適用了。對此，你有甚麼看法？
4. 人若是不休息，會有甚麼後果？你覺得訂一天為真正休息的日子(也許是週六)，隔天再崇拜，開始新的一週的工作，是個好主意嗎？

備註: 如果你手上有聖經，想要讀更多關於這個主題的經文，請參考以下的經文：

詩篇37:7 你當默然倚靠耶和華，耐性等候他；不要因那道路通達的和那惡謀成就的心懷不平。

詩篇37:25 我從前年幼，現在年老，卻未見過義人被棄，也未見過他的後裔討飯。

詩篇37: 34 你當等候耶和華，遵守他的道，他就抬舉你，使你承受地土；惡人被剪除的時候，你必看見。

詩篇46:10 你們要休息，要知道我是　神！我必在外邦中被尊崇，在遍地上也被尊崇。

詩篇116:7 我的心哪！你要仍歸安樂，因為耶和華用厚恩待你。

詩篇127:2 你們清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃勞碌得來的飯，本是枉然；惟有耶和華所親愛的，必叫他安然睡覺。

箴言10:29 耶和華的道是正直人的保障，卻成了作孽人的敗壞。

箴言 14:26 敬畏耶和華的，大有倚靠；他的兒女也有避難所。

以西結書34:15 主耶和華說：我必親自作我羊的牧人，使牠們得以躺臥。

希伯來書4:8-11

4:8 若是約書亞已叫他們享了安息，後來　神就不再提別的日子了。

4:9 這樣看來，必另有一安息日的安息為　神的子民存留。

4:10 因為那進入安息的，乃是歇了自己的工，正如　神歇了他的工一樣。

4:11 所以，我們務必竭力進入那安息，免得有人學那不信從的樣子跌倒了。

THE WORKPLACE – AND THE SABBATH

By Jim Mathis

Many of us struggle with not having enough time to get things done. Employers often expect us to be on call 24 hours a day. Self-employed people have an even greater challenge in trying to get away for a few days – or even a few hours. Studies have shown that productivity drops dramatically if we do not take time to rest to “sharpen our saw” to borrow a lumber industry term. Many of my best ideas for my business came while I was on vacation: away from work, getting a new perspective, gaining a new thought from a totally random source.

In the biblical creation story, God created the world in six days and then He rested on the seventh day. The idea of resting on the seventh day was codified when the Ten Commandments were handed down to Moses. Jesus clarified the Sabbath by teaching that honoring the Sabbath is not about following a set of rules; the seventh day is for man, He said, a time of rest, reflection, and recuperation – time to slowing down and enjoying God’s world.

After Jesus was crucified, He rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Because of that, the first Christians began to meet together on the first day of the week to celebrate His resurrection. Over the centuries, the idea of the Sabbath for Christians has shifted from the seventh day to the first day of the week. This has always been a source of conflict and confusion for me. Should we rest on the seventh day, Saturday, or the first day, Sunday? Or maybe our calendars are just labeled wrong.

Recently I have begun to realize that both days are right. We need to honor the seventh day of the week as a day of rest. My wife calls it a REAL Saturday, meaning a day to rest, reflect, restore, spend time with friends, have a relaxing meal, and simply enjoy being alive. Sunday then becomes the day to honor Jesus Christ and remember the resurrection. It is time to begin each week by giving the first few hours to God, sort of the first fruits of our time at the start of our week.

Saturday, the seventh day of the week, becomes the day of rest. Sunday, the first day of the week, becomes a time to worship God and get a good start on the week. People in vocational ministry, or those engaged in any kind of volunteer position at their church, understand that Sunday is often the most stressful day of the week, not at all a day for resting. Even those without official responsibilities know just getting the family ready for church and arriving there on time can be a hassle.

With this in mind, I often start my actual work week on Sunday afternoon or evening, planning my weekly schedule and getting a few things in order. This makes sense for me, realizing I have rested on Saturday and have already given the first few hours of the week to the Lord. Now it is time to work until the next Saturday, the true Sabbath – a real day for resting – knowing I am mentally, physically, and spiritually ready for a new week.

I am not suggesting this practice my wife and I follow should be normative for everyone, but it works for me. We take time for actual rest, as well as designate time for formal worship. It is how we apply what Jesus said: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

The key is that we do make certain to experience the proper rest, a time for physical, mental, emotional – and spiritual – recharging. Perhaps the best-known psalm tells us about the Shepherd (our Lord) and the care He provides for His sheep (us). The first two verses of Psalm 23 tell us, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.” God wants us fully rested, eager and prepared for whatever He calls us to do, and for any challenges coming our way.

Jim Mathis is the owner of a photography studio in Overland Park, Kansas, specializing in executive, commercial and theatrical portraits, and operates a school of photography. Jim is the author of High Performance Cameras for Ordinary People, a book on digital photography. He formerly was a coffee shop manager and executive director of CBMC in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.

Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. When you think of “the Sabbath,” what comes to your mind?
2. The tradition of observing a formal day for Sabbath rest has been forgotten or abandoned by many. Do you consciously observe a Sabbath day of rest? If so, what does it look like for you? If not, do you have a specific reason for not doing so?
3. Some people view the command to “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (the fourth of the Ten Commandments) as a legalistic practice that no longer applies to us in the 21^st century. How do you feel about that?
4. What are some of the consequences of not intentionally observing a day for rest? What do you think of designating one day – perhaps a Saturday – for actual rest, and then following that with a time for worshiping God to start Sunday morning, before resuming work?

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages:　Psalm 37:7,25,34; 46:10, 116:7, 127:2; Proverbs 10:29, 14:26; Ezekiel 34:15; Hebrews 4:8-11

21