Work and Worship — Part 4. Avodah in Rest: Sabbath
By: Mark Raja
Tags: Work, Theology Of Work, Sabbath, Christian Living, Worship

Prophetic Dancer-Drummer, Lutheran Theological College in Ranchi, © Jyoti Sahi

Work and Worship — Part 4

God brought Israel out of slavery and made a covenant with them at Mt. Sinai. Slavery in Egypt resembles the state of exile of man after the garden of Eden. Exodus is a journey from slavery to rest. Through this covenant, God brought his people to himslef and restored worship according to the promises he made to Abraham. “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5–6) Though not a perfect restoration, but it points to the perfect one.

When God restored Avodah, he commanded Sabbath and Jubilee. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God… For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8–11) You may wonder, if Avodah is restored why then a day of rest from work?

As I understand the scripture, Sabbath points us to the purpose of creation. The story of creation is the story of God’s dwelling place (temple). God worked six days in building his temple with the purpose to celebrate Sabbath or in other words dwell in its midst. Sabbath points to Shalom — where God, man, and the rest of creation were in perfect peace, wholeness, and flourishing. That is the purpose of our work.

Sabbath points to Shalom — where God, man, and the rest of creation were in perfect peace, wholeness, and flourishing. That is the purpose of our work.

In God’s covenant with Israel, he appointed Jubilee, which is seven cycles of Sabbatical years leads to Jubilee. It is also called the year of release. In slavery under Pharaoh, there was no Sabbath or rest. Work was painful and meaningless. That is why when God restored Avodah he also gave them Sabbath, to remind us that our work can be restored from being a curse into a blessing that leads to Shalom. That doesn’t mean that today we need to practice Sabbath as in the Old testament. Our Sabbath is fulfilled in Jesus. He said, “I am the Lord of Sabbath” and he came to proclaim the year of Jubilee. As disciples of Jesus our Avodah ought to be for the restoration of all things through him. “to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18,19) Because in Christ “…there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God”. (Hebrews 4:9)

My friend Renelle is a dance therapy practitioner. She works with young girls who were rescued from sex trafficking. These girls who were forced to slavery and sexual abuse for a long time, though they were rescued, they may or may not experience emotional healing. Renelle, through her gift of dance, leads these girls through a process of healing. This is her Avodah to God, to rescue them from physical, emotional and even spiritual slavery to Sabbath.