There are a few blogs I regularly check, one is all about music. I was surprised last week to see that this blog was featuring an entry about Justin Bieber. This is not Teen Beat, this is a legitimate music site. A music producer from Florida has slowed down one of Justin Bieber’s tracks, taking it from a three minute song into a 34 minute song.

And here’s the deal. It is good. As one critic says, it is hauntingly beautiful. This critic would never say that about any original Justin Bieber song.

The song was not altered. It was just immensely slowed down and turned into what sounds almost like a monastic chant.

I will admit that I listened to it a few times and it is quite interesting.

I think it’s also this incredible reminder of what I consider one of the most important spiritual lessons of all time, Sabbath. We are at that time again where things are going to get even busier. The kids are back in school. There are a million back to school activities. We start fall sports, after school activities, all the events of the church begin again, and life just kicks back into high gear. We will all return to a routine that is too fast and robs us of life.

I think there is an important lesson in this new version of Justin Bieber…. Sometimes something that is quite loud, hectic, chaotic, and generally unpleasant if slowed down can turn into something quite wonderful, moving, and enjoyable.

So before life becomes loud, hectic, chaotic, and generally unpleasant, determine to slow down and enjoy it.

One of my favorite theologians, Jurgen Moltmann, writes this about Sabbath time, “the brevity of time is not diminished one single second by accelerated life…life only becomes living when we break the dictatorship of the time that is measured by the clock.”

As one Native American Indian says, you all have the clock, we have time.

I think our most important calling this season is to redeem time. To slow down and not allow life to become a rush. To promise to treasure and hold each moment dear, because this truly is all we have. To live a Sabbath pace.

May we allow the song of our lives to be slowed down into something that is quite nice.

May we be people who give up the clock and discover time.