Sabbath for the Soil that Sustains Life

We've considered so far in this series that man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath made for man. This week, Michelle Edworthy impresses upon us that the Sabbath wasn't made only for human beings, but for the land itself. The Sabbath is a sacred symbol of rest, and that rest is commanded not just for the people who live on the land, but for the land itself. 

 

This week we are reminded that God's Jubilee dream is one of rest, wholeness, and thriving for the land itself. The land is holy, the land has agency, and the land is worthy in the eyes of God of this sacred rest. We imagine together what this can mean in our lives and our neighbourhood to honour God's commands that we give freedom and release to the land in which we live.