Sabbath comes from the Hebrew verb “Shabbat,” meaning “to stop.” To Sabbath is, at its most basic, to stop, to cease, to be done. In the Genesis story, God himself rested on the seventh day, and in doing so, He built a rhythm into the fabric of creation. For six days, we work and labor and wrestle with the earth, but on the seventh day, we stop. We breathe. We come to rest. When we live within this ancient practice and rhythm as Jesus did, we find what Jesus calls “rest for our souls.” But when we fight, resist, or attempt to outsmart this innate bodily cadence, we fracture our soul's wholeness into a million pieces. Exhaustion, confusion, alienation from God and others, harm to the earth, and even spiritual death are all the toxic waste of a life without Sabbath.

As we begin by stopping, it is great to have a tradition or activity that begins your Sabbath. Consider the following:

• Spend time with the Lord in word and prayer.

• Worship with your church.

• Spending time with family and friends in conversation and celebration.

• Reading God's word.

• Walking.

• Expressing blessing and gratitude.

We are so tired that if you were to ask someone, “How are you?” one of their first thoughts or responses might be, “Tired, I’m just tired.” We know well the feeling of being tired but often lack the ability to discern what in our rhythm of life makes us most tired. The idea of rest sounds wonderful, but in reality, rest is a radical, countercultural act of resistance to the powers and principalities of a world at war with God and his kingdom of peace. To practice Sabbath is to draw a line in the sand against all external (and internal) forces that would encroach upon your apprenticeship to Jesus and formation into his image. It’s to say, “This far you shall go, but no further.”

Consider: Where are you most tired? Physically? Mentally? Emotionally? Spiritually? What is the greatest drain on your energies? What is the strongest force of resistance in your life (external or internal) that attempts to keep you from Sabbath rest?

PLAN REST

Your time or day of Sabbath should be planned well, a day to do less, where your calendar is cleared. Here are a few great ways to prepare for sabbath rest:

• Go grocery shopping and stock your pantry and fridge.

• Prep your meals.

• Clean or tidy your home or apartment.

• Run any errands or pay any bills that need to be sorted before you can rest.

• Answer all your texts and emails in order to power off your devices.

• Make plans to meet your family or community on the Sabbath.

Plan out some fun activities for play and delight.

REST FROM

As a practice choose one to three cultural focus to say no to on Sabbath.

• Phone

• Social media

• The internet

• TV and entertainment

• Shopping

• Social obligations

• Sports

• Weekend work

• Chores

• Errands

• People

Timothy Keller has said, “Because the world is full of ugly things, we need the Sabbath to feed our soul with beauty.”

Jesus himself said plainly, “In this world, you will have trouble,” but he also said his desire for his disciples was “that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.” Sorrow is inevitable in this life, but joy is not. In the Way of Jesus, joy is a gift, but it’s one that must be chosen and cultivated, day after day, as an act of apprenticeship to our joyful God. Previous generations often thought of the Sabbath as a somber, serious day full of religious duty and legalistic rules.

Today, many people think of it as a day to chill, relax, or sleep. Both generations miss the essential truth – 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.

One of the great ways to delight is in a Sabbath meal or feast, enjoying a dinner with your family, friends, and/or community. Begin by reading a psalm, pray with and for one another, take a moment to honor and encourage one another, share of God’s goodness in your life.

Another form of delight is to consider a small list of activities that bring you joy. Things that are fun or relaxing and make those a part of your day.

Play music, play a game, go on a picnic, read a book, be in nature, go fishing, take a walk, take a nap, etc. Be as creative and thoughtful as you can.

Whether you practice Sabbath on Sundays, Saturdays, or another day of the week, it’s essential to remember God commands us to “remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy.” To keep it “holy” means to sanctify it, set it apart, and dedicate it to God for his special purposes. 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. In our final session of Sabbath, we elevate the Sabbath from a restful, joyful day off to a holy day of worship and delight in God himself.

A good worship practice can be spending a portion of your Sabbath in the quiet with God. There is a special kind of stillness that comes on the Sabbath when our relationship to time is unhurried, and we savor more than we stress. See if you can tap into that Sabbath time and give it back to God in loving worship. To do this, we recommend you find a quiet, distraction-free time and place. For many, first thing in the morning is the ideal time, but do whatever works best for your life.

For couples with younger children, consider breaking the day into thirds – a third spent all together in delight, a third for one parent to go be alone to rest and pray while the other plays with the children, and a third where the parents swap places. Spend your time in silence and solitude reading Scripture, journaling, walking in nature, or just napping and prayerfully resting in God; whatever your pathway is to God’s peace and presence.