People have been wondering why this moment of racial reckoning is happening now rather than before. After seeing black bodies broken, battered, and lynched for years, we (aka white people) seemingly haven't wanted to do the hard work before today. We're opened now in a way we haven't been before. We are growing the courage to bring up these conversations at work and in our families; reading the books that teach us the true history of our American story.
"But why now?" everyone is asking.
The answer in my eyes is clear: Sabbath.
COVID-19 has been disastrous to all of humanity in every way possible. First and foremost, the death toll has been humbling. But millions of the survivors are now without family, jobs, income, health insurance, or basic needs. This pandemic has been a 100% preventable disaster, and the long-term suffering it will create has only begun.
BUT, I can't help but name one important blessing from COVID-19: the forced Sabbath it has thrown upon us all.
We are no longer in lockdown, but there were over two months where people had nothing to do. No place to go out to eat, no live shows or sports, no kids' activities, no extracurriculars, no social gatherings. Zip. Nada. Nilch. Nothing.
And we hated it. It was painful. It was lonely. But it brought us something we abuse every day: the gift of time and moments of silence. It brought us the gift of Sabbath.
In the book of Leviticus, there is an order from the LORD to take a Sabbatical year every seven years in order for you, the land, and your livestock to rest. Additionally, every 49 years (after seven Sabbatical years), you are to take a Year of Jubilee. During this year, you not only rest, but everything is brought back into order. You return to your home land, equal out unpaid debts, reconcile with your neighbor about a discretion. You spend this year evening everything out again and essentially starting from the beginning.
I can't help but see 2020 as our Year of Jubilee. A moment forced on us by our inability to stop, assess the situation, and put our neighbors' health and wellbeing first.
When we spent two months in a lot of silence and boredom, watching everything we thought we'd never have time for on Netflix, we created space inside our beings to make things right again. We had the time and energy - after a long period of unintentional rest - to focus on others.
So when the horrendous lynching of George Floyd crossed our news feeds, our minds, hearts, and bodies were shaken for the first time in weeks. And because we had a Sabbath, we actually had the energy, desire, and vision of justice to do something about it. After previous killings of black people, our lives didn’t have space to care for and take action on behalf of our suffering neighbor. This year, that was different. I truly believe if we hadn't been in lockdown from COVID-19, George Floyd's death would have been another Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Emmitt Till - a couple weeks of protests but then white people gotta take their kids to soccer practice.
Honoring the Sabbath is a commandment, and this year has shown us why we must keep it.
I once heard a Pastor say that he would get fired for breaking all the commandments, but no one would care if he didn't honor the Sabbath. That's the culture we're up against, but we need to continually make it a priority, especially when COVID has passed and every minute of our lives are scheduled out.
And we don’t just do this for ourselves, but we do it for the literal lives of our neighbors.
During this 2020 Year of Jubilee, we are taking steps to even the playing field and truly reconcile a community. But in order for this to be sustained, we must rest. We must live in silence. We must find the solace or nothing will ever change.
