Sacred Rhythms: Discovering God’s Gift of Sabbath

The warm breeze stirred the pages of Edward Everett’s speech as he stood atop Cemetery Hill. He blinked, gazing out across the field in front of him, the land that witnessed such tragedy only eight short months ago. The Harvard graduate coughed gently in his throat and began to speak once again to the gathered crowd. As a former Pastor, Professor, Congressman, Governor, and member of the American Philosophical Society, public speaking was second nature to him, and although he had requested the event be postponed almost a month so that he could fine-tune his speech, he felt more confident than ever that the two-hour-long address he had prepared would do the occasion justice. Shifting the pages of his handwriting ever so slightly, Edward Evertt’s eyes swept across the faces of the men assembled around him, lingering just for a moment on perhaps the only person there more famous than himself. A tall man who sat upright and attentive, holding his own soon-to-be-delivered remarks, written on a single sheet of paper. Everett smiled to himself as he looked back out across the newly dedicated Gettysburg Cemetery. This would certainly be a day to remember.

The Gettysburg Address is 271 words long. In just 10 sentences, United States President Abraham Lincoln, who at the time considered the speech an abject failure, chose his words carefully, speaking for just under 2 minutes, before returning to his seat. The next morning, newspapers across the country reprinted the speech. While some criticized its length, at least one man, in fact, the man who had been given the honor as the headline speaker at the dedication ceremony, Edward Everett, was so impressed that he wrote the President a letter:

“Dear Mr Lincoln, I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.”

Two years later, Senator Charles Sumner referred to the short speech as a monumental act, remarking that, “the world noted at once what he said, and will never cease to remember it. The battle itself (he said) was less important than the speech.

But why? Why do millions of 5th graders in America memorize this speech that received only a sprinkling of applause on the day it was delivered? Why has it lasted the test of time, when, as he returned to his seat, Lincoln himself stated to a friend, “that speech won’t scour,” likening it to a plow that failed to move any soil?

Within those 271 words, Abraham Lincoln called upon those gathered to remember the founding of the Union and to harness that memory for the current struggle. While this story is particular to the United States, it isn’t unique to it. Men and women all over the world, and throughout history, have known that in order to meet the challenges of today, it is incumbent to remember the victories of the past. This is true across cultures, but for the Christian, it is more than important; it is imperative.

I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
Psalm 143:5

As human beings, we tend to think of memory as a deeply personal sense. We focus on the things we can remember and how those memories of the past make us feel in the present—and for good reason. These things shape us, they mold our personalities, and spark our interests and aversions. Memory is a powerful personal sense. In Psalm 143, we find David calling upon the lord as he was on the run for his life, and what does he rely upon in his moment of stress and even despair? His memories of God’s power and provision. Consider David’s life up until this point, how he had seen God move in the years leading up to this moment. Even if you’ve never been to church before, you probably know that David killed a giant named Goliath by the power of God. What kind of obstacles or insecurities has God helped you overcome? How could that memory of God’s faithfulness in your life carry you through hard times today? The thing about memory is that while it is an incredibly powerful personal force, it’s equally as powerful as a communal one. Story after story in scripture demonstrates this very truth; in fact, the scriptures themselves are proof of it.

Just a few psalms later, King David, in the midst of a psalm of praise, wrote that: One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.

Sabbath calls us to stop, to rest, and to remember; because it is through remembering God’s faithfulness in the past, that we equip ourselves not only to persevere in our current day, but to turn around and encourage the next generation to do the same, because the same God who carried our fathers carried us, and the same God carrying us will carry those to come. As we continue our journey, take a minute to reflect on God’s faithfulness in your life. You don’t have to say a lot to him, even a quiet, “thank you” for each memory is worshipful as you remember the God who was, and is, and is to come.

Let’s pray together.

Lord God, help me to rest in your presence today. Call to mind the times when you have been faithful to deliver, rescue, protect, and provide. Good and Holy Father, help me to look beyond my own life, to bury deep within my heart the stories of your mighty acts, so that when the moment arrives where I need to find my strength in something outside of myself, your word is my firm foundation. Amen.