There is something deeply enlivening and holy about the spiritual discipline of play. Sabbath-rich play is often where we become our most authentically human. This song is about that very thing. Thanks for playing along.
Play (Words and music by Eric Park)
Long ago when God rested on the 7th day
It wasn’t time for sleeping or a holiday
Maybe it was a day to soak up the newborn sun
A playful recreation in the light of what he’d done
If we’re made in the image of this kind of God
This working, playing, moving, resting kind of God
Then deep within our soul we find a common way
A healthy rhythm making room for work and play
And don’t forget to play
It’s part of what’s inside us
Don’t forget to play
It limits what divides us
Don’t forget to play
There’s laughter right beside us
No better time for playing than today
Join the recreation, come and play
Stifling our playfulness is nothing new
It’s looked upon as slothful when there’s work to do
But even work is playful when it’s done with grace
A playful spirit softens up a hardened place
And don’t forget to play
It’s part of what reveals us
Don’t forget to play
Removing what conceals us
Don’t forget to play
It unifies and seals us
No better time for playing than today
Join the recreation; come and play
It’s what keeps my spirit light
Keeping things within me bright
It’s what brings me off the shelf
And helps me be my truest self
A soul deprived of playtime in time will long for more
It’s part of why we nurse the sick and feed the poor
Reaching to the broken souls that they might be
Brought closer to a playfulness that sets them free
And don’t forget to play
It’s part of what reveals us
Don’t forget to play
Removing what conceals us
Don’t forget to play
It unifies and seals us
No better time for playing than today
Join the recreation; come and play
And don’t forget to play
It’s part of what’s inside us
Don’t forget to play
It limits what divides us
Don’t forget to play
There’s laughter right beside us
No better time for playing than today
Join the recreation, come and play