Practicing Sabbath Delight
Why do the majority of Christians think the Ten Commandments are still relevant and important, except the fourth – “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”? We dismiss that one commandment as less significant than the rest. Does it really matter if we do some extra work? Is there anyone who actually keeps a Sabbath anymore?
The Sabbath is an extensive subject and much has been written about it by much smarter people. But, I think the problem we have with keeping the Sabbath is that we don’t understand it. When we hear “a day of rest” it sounds unrealistic and maybe even boring. It’s hard to imagine setting aside one whole day of the week to do nothing. But doing nothing is not the intention. Keeping the Sabbath is not about doing nothing, but about doing something very significant. It’s similar to the practice of silence and solitude in this way. It challenges us to slow down and break the hurried, reactive patterns of our lives. And if we’re not working or being productive, it forces us to deal with what’s going on inside of us rather than just dealing with the stuff around us. On the surface, it may seem like we’re wasting precious time, but with practice, it can become the most important day of the week.
Pastor Robbie pointed out this past Sunday how the world, and our spiritual enemy, is fighting against the practice of the Sabbath. Stopping goes against everything we hear and see in society. I want to point out two major challenges when it comes to having a day of rest and give some practical steps on how to begin this practice.
We are addicted to work.
In addition to John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, I recommend Peter Scazzero’s “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” (and his subsequent books) for deeper insight on the topic of Sabbath. Scazzero has some helpful questions specifically to help us think through our relationship with work. Here are a few:
Do you get more excited about your work than about family or anything else?
Do you take work with you to bed? On weekends? On vacation?
Do you work more than forty hours a week?
Do you get impatient with people who have other priorities besides work?
Have your long hours hurt your family or other relationships?
These can all be signs of workaholism. Work, work, work, has been ingrained in us, and it’s often where we see immediate rewards. Our jobs may wear us out physically and mentally, but like a drug, we don’t know how to stop, or we’re afraid to do so because our work has become our identity. To take a Sabbath, we must be able to set our work aside, realizing that we are not as important, powerful, or effective as we think we are. Our pride tells us we “have” to get the work done, but that’s very rarely, if ever, reality. Things can almost always wait a day, especially if we plan and arrange our weeks to protect that day. A trick I’ve taught myself when I start to feel like I can’t stop is to ask myself what would happen if I were terribly sick or had an emergency. It may seem extreme, but it always puts things in perspective for me.
The more we put our work away, the easier it becomes. We realize that the world keeps spinning and we keep breathing. This leads us to the second major challenge of keeping the Sabbath.
We don’t know how to rest.
Like most aspects of slowing down, we are bad at it. We are so bad at it, that we don’t even know what effective rest is. We think stopping to rest means escaping life with indulgent or mindless practices. Sometimes those things are ok (like watching TV, playing video games, or taking a nap), but there’s so much more to rest. Pastor Robbie pointed out in his message that Sabbath rest is about delighting in God and His creation. Anything that takes our attention or energy away from that is not the kind of rest we need. That doesn’t mean we have to turn on worship music and sit with our Bibles for 24 hours. There should be some time for that, but there are many other ways of enjoying God and His creation, and each person should prayerfully consider what that looks like for them. Whatever activity you choose, consider three key ingredients to guide your Sabbath: 1) time alone with God, 2) time in nature, and 3) time engaged with people you love. By incorporating each of these elements into your Sabbath, you can develop a pattern of delighting in God and His creation. You may combine all three, like going to the beach with family or friends, which gives you time in creation, time to play and engage with the people you love, and time to sit and reflect on the beauty of God. Or you may break it up into different activities. For example, start your Sabbath with a great dinner with your family or friends (or both). Wake up the next morning, enjoy a cup of coffee, and spend time studying the Bible, reflecting, and praying. Then go for a long walk or find a beautiful park to visit. Work in your yard if that’s something you enjoy. Cook or create something…music, art, or craft… These are all things that can, if we’re mindful of it, remind us of God’s creativity and power, and our finite abilities. Every person will rest differently. It’s important to find the things that help you stop your daily work and enjoy your Creator.
While there’s not a prescribed list of things to do to rest, there are things that are good to avoid as much as possible:
Technology – We spend so much of our time in front of screens. Use your Sabbath to unplug (phones, TVs, and computers) and be present.
Shopping – You may need to run to the store but try to plan in advance to avoid shopping on your Sabbath. Shopping feeds our consumer mentality and tends to make us feel even less satisfied. Window and even grocery shopping make us want more than we need, want more money than we have, and look for satisfaction in material things.
Vegging – Avoid laying around on the couch and binging Netflix or doing nothing. Watching a quality movie with the family can be a good thing, and taking an intentional nap can be useful, but too much sitting around in mindless activity tends to make us feel more tired and doesn’t usually have any spiritual benefit.
Finding a rhythm and activities for your Sabbath will take practice, planning, and a lot of discipline. It’s hard, but worth the effort. It’s an act of obedience and demonstrates our trust in God. It will be difficult at first to gauge how effective your time will be. Pete Scazzero gives a list of questions to help us evaluate our Sabbath.
Sabbath provides a healthy boundary and limit around my paid and unpaid work.
I take time on my weekly Sabbath to delight in God’s innumerable gifts (e.g., people, beauty, hobbies, mountains, food, music, etc.)
I view Sabbath as a day to practice eternity and taste the ultimate Sabbath rest when I will see Jesus face-to-face.
I practice Sabbath as a prophetic, countercultural act that resists the culture’s value that defines me by what I do rather than who I am (i.e., God’s beloved son/daughter)
I am comfortable letting go of my responsibilities on Sabbath, fully trusting God to run the world and build his kingdom without me.
I find my identity primarily in God’s love rather than in my work or my role as a leader.
I often receive unexpected insights and discernment during Sabbath.
I apply my Sabbath guidelines of stop, rest, delight, and contemplate to extended vacations and holidays.
I intentionally prepare and plan for Sabbath so that I have the time and space to focus on God’s love coming to me through the many gifts from his hand.
Spend some time reflecting on these questions and consider what your next steps could be. Hopefully this has given you some guidance in how to implement Sabbath into your life. Like all spiritual disciplines, don’t expect to jump in and be perfect, and don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start small, but start with something….even if it’s just a few hours a week, but continue to build on that practice and enjoy this gift from God as you do!
