The movie, Chariots of Fire, tells the story of the 1924 British Olympic team. A crisis occurs when one of the athletes, a sincere Christian, refuses to run on a Sunday. He insists on keeping Sabbath rest. Can we recover how important the Sabbath is for us as believers in the midst of shopping, soccer practice and theater-going? Isaiah tells us the Lord expects us to care for the oppressed, the hungry, the afflicted. He appends to that list another admonition: If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice—Then you shall delight in the LORD. The prophet insists on the necessity not only of acting in charity but of remembering why we act in charity by taking time out for God. The Sabbath rest gets the focus off of what we are doing onto what God is doing in us and for us.
