Sabbath Practice
Jesus said, "Come to me all who are weary...you will find rest for your soul" (matt 11 ). We believe Jesus has an invitation for each of us to step more deeply into Sabbath ("stop" in Hebrew). This post holds a four-week practice designed to help you find the rest for your soul that Jesus invites you into. With the help of resources from practicingtheway.com we’ll explore four themes/movements of sabbath: stop, rest, delight, and worship.
Week One: Stop
Sabbath, in its simplest (and maybe most powerful) meaning, means “stop”. Stopping is not easy in our go go 24/7 life. What we learn in sabbath stopping is that God has designed a rhythm of living that gives life, that does not exploit, and that heals our souls.
Exercises:
(See guide for more details and context)
Pick a time to Sabbath and give it a try. We encourage you to shoot for a 24hr period. For a lot of people, Sunday works well, but any day could work.
Pick a beginning and ending ritual. See the Guide for a helpful list.
Pick a sabbath activity to get started. Something restful that you enjoy (see guide for helpful list)
Listen & Learn:
Week two: Rest
Once we stop, how do we rest? In this second week of our focus on sabbath, we look at what resting on Sabbath means. Does it simply mean taking a day off, or is it much more profound? In the bible, sabbath rest is an act of resistance rooted in the story of God liberating people from slavery. When we rest, we resist all in this world that seeks to exploit us. There are some many things that want to exploit and monetize your attention and your focus. Sabbath rest is saying “no.” Sabbath rest is a celebration of liberation, its a celebration that God is not like Pharoh who endlessly demands more and more, God is a God who rests, and wants rest for your soul. Sabbath is a protest. Its a protest against the notion that was are what we do…. its a protest that shouts I am a human BEING, not a human doing.
Exercises:
Prepare for the day
Prepare for external resistance
Prepare for internal resistance
Week three: Delight
“the Sabbath is designed by God as a day to give yourself fully to delight in God’s world, in your life in it, and ultimately in God himself. “ Practicing the Way Sabbath Guide
Exercises
Plan a sabbath feast!
Pleasure stacking! Use the helpful list in the Sabbath Practice Guide (delight section) and choose 1-3 activities or (choose your own adventure).
Listen & Learn
Week Four: Worship
“Sabbath isn’t just a day to sleep in, relax, and do whatever brings you joy (it is, but it’s more): it’s a day to worship. To reorient your entire life back to its center in God.” Sabbath Practice Guide
Exercises:
Practice a light and life-giving version of what the ancients called “fixed-hour prayer.”
Identify two to three practices by which you enjoy God and do them. Check out the spiritual pathways test for more help discerning this.