Jesus tells us that we were not made for the sabbath; the sabbath was made for us. Simply put, the sabbath prefigures the end times, the world that is to come, and heaven. The precept to keep the sabbath holy asks that we, individually and collectively, regularly have a sabbatical (notice the root of that word) by stopping our normal work and activities to try to taste a little of what the final state will be like. We stop work once a week not just to rest and worship God but also to forgive debts and to bring ourselves more into a general sympathy with everything. To observe the sabbath means to cancel debts, to forgive others, and to let go of our hurts. Observing the Sabbath is a critical observance, both religiously and psychologically. Unless we pull back from our everyday lives regularly, one day a week, and rest, worship, and forgive, we lose perspective on what is essential and become compulsive, driven persons caught up in the rat race. Likewise, we become ambitious, greedy, and resentful, unable to pray, forgive, and enjoy life. It is no accident that today, as Sunday observance is slipping, we find ourselves ever more trapped and pressured, always behind, unable to rest, and unable to delight in the deep joys of life. What this means is that we are not observing the sabbath. The Sabbath is our day. Once a week, we have a chance to taste a wee bit of heaven: to rest, worship God, forgive each other, and feel more sympathy with all things.