Sabbath

What is the practice of sabbath?

When Jesus came he broke the old covenant and set the record straight that true rest is found in Him. And yet, Jesus, both fully God and fully man, still kept the Sabbath. Not out of duty or religious obligation, but because he knew that it was good for his soul.

So, if Jesus practiced Sabbath shouldn’t we? Wouldn’t our lives be better by doing what Jesus did? Afterall, in Mark 2:27 He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Sabbath is an invitation from God to enter into His design of rest for our body, mind, and souls.

We do this by setting down our work, once a week for an entire day, rest and delight in God. By saying yes to God’s invitation to practice Sabbath, we surrender to Him and His sovereignty by declaring that we can rest because He is God (and we are not).

As a byproduct, we develop a beautiful spiritual rhythm that changes how we live our entire lives. We begin to work from a place of deep rest that spills over into every area of our lives.

That’s why Walter Bruggemann says, “People who keep Sabbath live all seven days differently.”

Before you begin:

This seven day experience is designed to accomplish two goals. First, to actually practice Sabbath! And second, to invite God into the days that lead up to your Sabbath and let him speak to you about your rhythm of rest.

The first five days are designed to help you prepare for Sabbath.
Then, on day six, you will actually practice The Sabbath.
Then, on day seven, you will spend time reflecting on what you experienced and let God speak to you about how to integrate this practice into your spiritual rhythm.

There are two parts to this experience:

Morning reflection: You will begin your day with 15 minutes of reflection that will help you unpack what God may be speaking to you about Sabbath. This will be a time to slow down and create space to be with God.

Daily action: Then, we will ask you to do one thing that will help you prepare for your Sabbath.

Before you jump in, check out these four best practices that will help you with this experience.

Best Practice 1

Set aside 20-30 mins

Set aside 20-30 minutes of quiet space each day. Put this time on your calendar and create a daily discipline to meet with God.

Best Practice 2

No distractions

You will want to be free of distraction. If you are using your phone for this experience, set it to Do Not Disturb.

Best Practice 3

Get a journal

We will ask you to write out your thoughts each day as part of this experience. Trust us, it’s an important part of the process.

Best Practice 4

Invite God in

Don’t forget to invite God into this. Consider a simple prayer like this:

“God, I’m here. I want what you want for my life. Speak, Lord, I’m listening.”

Ready to begin?