By John Mark Reynolds
Scriptorium Daily
I had an uncle named Arthur, but not by blood.
Instead, I read and reread children’s stories collected and written by Arthur Maxwell, Uncle Arthur. I doubt a single moment of my adult life has escaped his influence, because his stories were fascinating and true.
Maxwell, it turns out, was a Seventh Day Adventist, a group of Christians most famous for their devotion to health and healing. My family was Adventist; we were influenced by the teachings on the Second Coming in the middle of the eighteenth century, but not part of the Seventh Day movement. Seventh Day Adventists believed, amongst other ideas, that Christians should still worship on the Sabbath—the Seventh Day.
I thought about this hard at one time and decided against Sabbatarianism, but my Seventh Day Adventist friends still taught me several important truths that all Christians should recall. Uncle Arthur was, as usual, mostly right, because his wisdom was based on the Bible and practical Christian living.
First, Uncle Arthur reminded me that God built rest into true humanity. God labored six days and lives now at rest. Our workaholic culture may not admire the man who rests, but God does.
Second, Uncle Arthur pointed out that rest was good, recreation better, but that setting apart one day as holy was different. Simply saying “every day” is my Sabbath often means (to paraphrase the Incredibles) that day is holy. Making a day holy isn’t about making it awful as some people did in the country: forbidding jollity is no more apt than forbidding sorrow. Both sorrow and joy are proper human reactions to the awesome nature of God.
Following Uncle Arthur’s kindly advice, I try to take a Sabbath each week where my normal habits are suspended. I try to pray, read the Bible, and meditate more on that day than I can usually. I pull back from any work-for-pay activities. Since I often speak on Sunday that means Sunday is often not a day of rest for me.
Third, my Sabbath, and there is no way not to sound so cheesy you could dip Doritos in this section, is about loving people. I try to find actions where I can love my wife, my children, my family, friends, neighbors, and (too occasionally) my enemies. How does that work practically?
We try to have a family dinner with as many of the Reynolds’ clan as can come. We spend time and money on this meal . . . and contrary to the vegetarian Uncle Arthur it often centers on steak as a family favorite. We try to fill this time with some conversation, though occasionally we will view a film.
Uncle Arthur taught me that a “Sabbath” is a great time to help the poor or do charitable work. This is overlooked aspect of “rest” and one that has been a struggle. Is there an aspect of my week where I give labor for love and not money? If not, that is a problem.
My job is thinking and so on my Sabbath I tend to emphasize the heart aspect of my life. I can imagine someone else who is in a “feeling” job, spending a Sabbath in intellectual reflection.
Finally, Uncle Arthur taught me the importance of sleep. Rest should not just be “holy busyness,” but includes sleeping. There must have been a time when sleeping too much was a problem, but I have not known anybody afflicted with this issue. Most people I know view the perfect day as one where they sleep. This is not good.
If your ideal day is sleeping, then you need more sleep in your non-Sabbath life.
Uncle Arthur taught me that works would not save me, but the saved would do good works out of loving gratitude to God. Good works would in general cause me to do well. However, working is exhausting . . . even loving good works. Uncle Arthur told “bedtime stories” and that means there needs to bedtime when I am still awake to hear them.
