Practice of the Month: Sabbath

“Don’t ever forget that you were slaves in Egypt and God, your God, got you out of there in a powerful show of strength. That’s why God, your God, commands you to observe the day of Sabbath rest.” DEUT 5:15 MSG

In the creation story in Genesis, we’re told God blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Set apart. Special. The first full day of existence for humans in this story is the Sabbath, a day of resting and enjoying the gift of creation and relationship with God and community. Our work and fruitfulness was always meant to flow from that place.

God wants us to be free! To be healthy and whole. To enjoy this beautiful gift of life he has given us. To get enough sleep and actually like our lives! We’re not slaves. We’re family. We are dearly loved sons and daughters not based on what we achieve or how well we perform. Do we truly believe that?

When it comes to rest, there is one foundational practice we recommend which is a container for all the other stuff. The ancient practice of sabbath (or shabbat in Hebrew), is a command to the people of God, but as Jesus showed, it’s really a gift to us from our creator. It’s not a reward for good behavior or getting all our work done, and it shouldn’t feel like a heavy burden. Traditionally this is a 24-hour period of time set aside every week to stop producing and just enjoy the goodness of creation with God and each other.

Stop. Rest. Delight. Worship.

You’re not just allowed; You’re commanded! But not in a legalistic, religious way. Sabbath is a form of resistance against the dehumanizing powers of this world. What would it look like for you to live and work from a place of rest and peace & joy rather than exhaustion, worry, and striving? Let’s explore and practice that together this month!

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.  PSALM 127:2 NLT

P R A C T I C E

Enjoying the goodness of life and creation with God, Sabbath, slowing, delighting, playing, sleeping, health

R E M I N D E R! (From Practicing the Way)

It’s essential to remember that all of the practices are a means to an end. 

The end goal of Sabbath is not to say, “I practice Sabbath.” It’s to apprentice under Jesus to become a person who is marked by an inner spirit of restfulness and who is calm, at ease in their own body, unhurried, kind, and present. You will become aware of what God is doing around you, sincerely grateful, emotionally healthy, and delighted by the goodness of your life with God. A person who is like a rock in a sea of chaos, unmoved by the overwork, overconsumption, and overactivity of our host culture.

Because it’s so easy to lose sight of the end goal of a practice, here are a few tips to keep in mind as you sabbath.

TIPS

01 Start small

Start where you are, not where you “should” be. If a full 24 hours is too much, start with a half day; if that’s too much, start with a few hours.

02 Subtraction, not addition

Please do not “add” Sabbath into your already overbusy, overfull life. Think: what can I cut out? A weekend sports team? A house project? Weekend emails? Formation is about less, not more.

03 You get out what you put in

The more fully you give yourself to this Practice, the more life-changing it will be. The more your just dabble with it, the more shortcuts you take, the less of an effect it will have on your transformation.