SABBATH

 

Supplies: None

Time: One whole day

Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. - Genesis 2:3

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.  - Exodus 20:8

I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. - Ezekiel 20:19-20

Why Engage It?

In Abraham Joshua Heschel’s greatly acclaimed book, The Sabbath, Heschel says,

“To gain control of the world of space is certainly one of our tasks. The danger begins when in gaining power in the realm of space we forfeit all aspirations in the realm of time. There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern.”

Heschel points out in his book that the first thing in Scripture that God consecrated as Holy is not any material thing, but time, and more specifically the sabbath day. Honoring the Sabbath is one of the most basic, yet revolutionary things we do as Christians. When we honor the Sabbath, we say no to work for that day. When we say no to work we may be saying no to production, efficiency, even income, all of which will imply a deeper trust in the Lord who provides all that we need.

Honoring the Sabbath is an act of trust. As we do it, we will not only have a deeper understanding of God’s provision in our lives, but we will also learn how to rest, how to make space in our lives for God to heal us, and how to better experience the rest of the week’s work as good labor and not as toil. In a culture that honors productivity, our honoring the Sabbath will also be a witness to a different economy - the economy of God’s Kingdom.

How to Practice It

There is no one way to honor the Sabbath. Perhaps it is more about what you don’t do (work) than what you do. It may be Sunday, the day that you worship, but if you are in church ministry it should probably be a different day. We recommend the most simple definition prescribed by Eugene Peterson; when asked what he does on his Sabbaths all these years he answered, “I just make sure I do these two things on my Sabbath days - pray and play.” 

While rest, of course, is primary for our ‘day of rest’, playing and praying seem like good ingredients to a Sabbath. Play can look many different ways. It may mean doing something special with your kids/family, taking a walk in a pretty place where you live, getting down on the ground with your pet, playing board games, or getting out and playing your favorite sport. Anything that brings you joy and allows you to enjoy God’s good things of creation can be considered play. Prayer can look many different ways as well. Check out our website for more ideas on different prayer practices. I have found silent listening to be the best form of Sabbath prayer for me. 

 
Capacity Ministries