A Practice of Grace-Sabbath Rest

We are fortunate to have a guest blogger this week, Jeannie Short. She loves God and has been intentionally creating space for God, through Sabbath, for many years. Her words provide a firm, yet gentle reminder of the importance and benefits of Sabbath rest.

Many have called this recent season of the COVID pandemic “The Great Pause”. As you consider life, how would you describe the typical pace of your life in a word or short phrase? How does the pace of your life affect the way you relate to God?

According to author Adele Ahlberg Calhoun “Sabbath is God’s gift of repetitive and regular rest.” In Matthew 11:28-30 we see the phrase “you will find rest for your souls”. But, what does that look like in real life? What do you think of when you hear the words ‘rest for your soul’?

Matthew 11: 28-30   “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.”

In Soul Feast by Marjorie Thompson:

“The Sabbath command is especially relevant to contemporary life. How difficult it is for people in our achievement- and production-obsessed culture to rest. Keeping the Sabbath means trusting God to be God, recognizing that we are not indispensable. When we refuse to take a single day a week for genuine refreshment and rest, we try to outdo even God! In the light of God’s rest, our anxious, compulsive activities may be exposed as little more than efforts to stay in control, or to fabricate life’s meaning out of constant activity…. Rest and worship are expressions of deep trust.”

In Scripture, we see that God commands Sabbath rest.

●     Ex. 20:8-11 The Voice-You and your family are to remember the Sabbath Day; set it apart, and keep it holy.  You have six days to do all your work,  but the seventh day is to be different; it is the Sabbath of the Eternal your God. Keep it holy by not doing any work—not you, your sons, your daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, or any outsiders living among you.  For the Eternal made the heavens above, the earth below, the seas, and all the creatures in them in six days. Then, on the seventh day, He rested. That is why He blessed the Sabbath Day and made it sacred.

Author Keri Wyatt Kent states, “The Bible’s rationale for the Sabbath is simple: we, God’s image-bearers, function best by following God’s example, particularly in how we manage our time. Resting… reminds us of the miracle of creation and the gift God gave himself and his creatures. It reminds us how to dance the dance of life.”

●     Deut. 5:12-15 echoes the verse above. You and your family are to honor the Sabbath by setting it aside for the Lord your God. Make sure it remains holy, just as I commanded you.  You should do all of your work in six days, and on the seventh—the Sabbath—do not do any work. This goes for you, your sons, your daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and cattle, and foreign travelers staying at your house. My Sabbath rest is for all to enjoy. Remember what it was like when you were a slave in Egypt. Then with overwhelming power I brought you out of there. That’s why I have commanded you to observe the Sabbath each week.

Verse 15 introduces the idea of Sabbath providing an opportunity to Remember! Don’t forget, remember & Celebrate.

Jesus Shows Us How

We also see many examples in Scripture where Jesus modeled the practice of Sabbath in His life and ministry

●     Mark 2:23-27 Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Luke 6:1-5 echoes this story; immediately followed by Luke 6:6-11 when Jesus is watched closely by the Pharisees. Yet Jesus heals on the Sabbath.

●     Mark 6:30-32 The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.

So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves. Someone saw them going and the word got around. From the surrounding towns, people went out on foot, running, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke—like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them.

Jesus and His disciples had a rhythm of work & rest.

In her book, Rest Keri Wyatt Kent invites us to live a life of sabbath simplicity! This is a combination of several practices of grace incorporating sabbath keeping, rest, and simplicity into a way of life. I like to think of Sabbath as a life-giving invitation from the Trinity.

Ponder This

What is one choice you can make this week to allow one day to be intentionally restful?

Here are a few suggestions that I do.

• Take mini Sabbaths of logging out of social media sites to mute the dozens of notifications that distract me each day

• Taking 30 minutes for a brisk walk and rewarding myself with an energetic conversation with a friend or a fiction audiobook.

These have been especially important in this season of the COVID pandemic.

Jeannie and I would love to hear how you are making time for rest and creating practices of grace that draw you closer to God. Leave your comments below.