“
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
matthew 11v28-30
niv
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Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’”
mark 2v27-28
niv
Introduction
The Sabbath reminds us of the gospel of grace. In actuality, Sabbath keeping might be the greatest sign of grace because it’s while we are intentionally accomplishing nothing that God loves us… we keep Sabbath to resist the idol of productivity. We are more than what we produce.
rich villodas
What is it
A Sabbath is a day when we cease work, whether paid or unpaid. It is a day not for doing but for resting, worshipping, and delighting - it is a day of rest and restoration.1 Sabbath keeping is a weekly, 24-hour period of unhurried delight where we intentionally unburden ourselves from the usual demands of our working lives2 and create intentional space for a life not dominated or distorted by overwork.
1
Richard Villodas, The Deeply Formed Life, 30.
2
Ibid., 31.
Why we should do it
In Genesis 1, God the Creator rested on the seventh day. Indeed, the very first thing that is called Holy, that is to say, set apart, in all of Scripture is not a thing at all. It is a day. It is worth remembering that humanity was created on the sixth day in the creation narrative. Man’s first day was one of resting and delighting in God and enjoying the blessing of God's good creation.
Biblically, work is a good thing, and enjoying work is described as a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 5 v19). God was working at creation and gave humans the job of working and stewarding his creation. But work, for us, and as a society, has become obsessive and oppressive.
We live in an exhausting society. Productivity and efficiency are the buzzwords of our age, and rather than delighting in rest, we delight in cities, jobs, and devices that never sleep. Have you ever had the feeling that you could be, should be, doing more?
Yet the brilliance of the Sabbath is that it is a means of imparting order into our busy weeks, a means of respite from the heavy burdens of life. It is an anti-productivity initiative, whereby we can rest in the objective reality that God in Jesus Christ has done enough and is enough. We can delight in the knowledge of God’s love for us while we are intentionally accomplishing nothing.
Practising the Sabbath cuts through the noise and demands of our busy and frantic world and prepares us for the day we will eventually enter into our eternal Sabbath rest.
1
Ibid., 32.
2
Derek Bledsoe, Optimising Life, Profaning the Sabbath.
2
Villodas, Deeply Formed, 31.
Practicing Sabbath
It takes creativity and perseverance to transition from merely having a day off to observing a “Sabbath to the LORD our God”. Taking a Sabbath requires some significant thought and advanced planning. It also requires defining and maintaining boundaries on how to use your Sabbath.
Understanding the Sabbath
The concept of the Sabbath may be entirely new to you, and as such, you may benefit greatly from reading up on and exploring what it means to practice the Sabbath.
1
Identify a 24 hr window
Identify a block of time where you may be able to practice the sabbath. This will be constrained by a multitude of factors (I.e. shift work or family demands), but try and get into as much of a rhythm as possible. Some examples:
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The Traditional Jewish Shabbat - From sundown on Friday evening to sundown on Saturday evening
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The Traditional Christian Sabbath - The whole of one's Sunday. The benefit of this is that it incorporates the gathering together to worship God as the family of God. The very thing the Sabbath is always pointing towards.
2
Make a list of what brings you delight
Set aside some time to reflect on things that you find particularly enjoyable and restful. Consider the people, the places, and the activities which energise you. A nice walk, a good catch-up with a friend, exercise, reading, cooking, eating good food, watching a film, going to a park with your children. These are all options! As you plan your sabbath, incorporate one or two of these activities into your day.
3
Prepare in advance
Identify the errands and chores that you have to do to set apart the Sabbath. This might involve changing how you live your other six days so that you can stop and rest, but you’ll be grateful for the time and space that getting the laundry and food shopping done earlier in the week will allow.
4
Define a protective container
Identify a list of certain parameters of what you will and will not do on your Sabbath day. Again this may look different for us all, but having this list is helpful to stay accountable. Ask yourself ‘What will I / what will I not do to make this Sabbath day different from my other six days?’. Some examples:
I will
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Start the Sabbath by praying and enjoying a good meal.
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Intentionally set aside time for Bible study and worship.
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Actively delight in the beauty of God’s creation, whether that be through nature, art, music, etc.
I will not
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Open my work email or my social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
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Talk or engage in any work-related tasks unless it’s of absolute necessity.
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Catch up on house-related chores that are not yet done.
5
Reflect & Review
Finally, as your Sabbath draws to a close, take some time to reflect on your experience. What did you find particularly joyful, and what was particularly challenging? How may you go about practising your Sabbath next week differently from this week? Where did you experience God most clearly?
Cautionary Comment
Fundamentally, the Sabbath is resting and delighting in the love of God. It is living out the reality that we are loved regardless of our productivity. Allow this truth to be your governing principle as you consider how to practice the Sabbath.