Sabbath
We invite you to explore a variety of resources. We have categorized them by activity, and they represent a variety of approaches to living a Christian life. This menu is not designed as a “to-do” list, but rather as an offering for individuals to sample and find the activities that bring them closer to God in this particular practice.
Sabbath rest is an important faith practice that is often overlooked in our busy lives. Since the earliest days when God models Sabbath rest to us on the seventh day of creation, to Jesus’ retreats to the desert to recharge, we are called to take intentional time apart to rest and prepare anew for our lives of discipleship. In practicing Sabbath rest, we consciously and intentionally set aside the distractions of the world and draw closer to Jesus.
“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.”
Watch
Empowering Parents to Practice Faith at Home: A Ministry Leader Workshop with Rev. Traci Smith. In this video, Traci Smith talks about spiritual practices at bedtime and gives three simple bedtime practices. (3 minutes)
Bible Project: Sabbath
In this video, we explore the theme of seventh day rest and the biblical concept of Sabbath. We also look at why Jesus adopted this idea as a major part of his own mission to bring God's Kingdom to earth. (5 minutes)
Way of Love: The Episcopal Church
From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. (3 minutes)
Read
<<< Sabbath as the Path to Creatureliness: 3 Lessons from Wendell Berry / Building Faith (article)
>>> Creating a Life-Giving Personal Sabbath Practice / Christian Reformed Church (article)
Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now / Walter Brueggemann (book)
Discussions about the Sabbath often center around moralistic laws and arguments over whether a person should be able to play cards or purchase liquor on Sundays. In this volume, popular author Walter Brueggemann writes that the Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about becoming a whole person and restoring a whole society. Importantly, Brueggemann speaks to a 24/7 society of consumption, a society in which we live to achieve, accomplish, perform, and possess. We want more, own more, use more, eat more, and drink more. Keeping the Sabbath allows us to break this restless cycle and focus on what is truly important: God, other people, all life.
Rest
Joy Break / Illustrated Ministry (Curriculum from Second Sunday of Christmas, 2021)
What brings you joy in your life? Think about, write, or draw:
Five things that made you smile this week
Four fun things you did this week
Three people who were kind to you this week
Two times you felt loved this week
One wish you have for the next week
When you finish, take some time to pray for everything you listed, and to thank God for the joy you have in your life.
Mini-Sabbath Notecards / Traci Smith via Etsy
”The Sabbath is a day of rest given to us by God. Although it is right and good to take an entire Sabbath day to rest each week, I also like to incorporate mini-sabbath moments into each day. In the midst of a busy life, just a few minutes can bring us great peace, focus our minds, and usher us back to God’s presence. These Sabbath notecards are designed for busy teens and adults. You might enjoy using them with younger children as well or practicing them as a family.” (1-, 3-, and 5-minute ideas for Sabbath for all ages)
Rest Practices / Way of Love from the Episcopal Church
"From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.”
Pray
O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of refreshment and peace; and grant that we may so use our leisure to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds, that our spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for the Good Use of Leisure, Book of Common Prayer, p. 825
