The Rest of God
"SABBATH RHYTHM is practicing the weekly HABIT of receiving the GIFT of God to CEASE from that which is necessary--work and to EMBRACE that which is essential--rest, reflection and relationships (God, self, and others) for the purpose of SELF-CARE."
After about 9 months of resting, reflecting, and relating in a SABBATH RHYTHM, God gave me this understanding of a SR. I've capitalized those words which are significant to me. I realize this is a simple definition of the rest of God. In the next six weeks I'd like for us to journey together in this REST OF GOD by reflecting on those capitalized words above: SABBATH RHYTHM; HABIT; GIFT; CEASE; EMBRACE; and SELF-CARE.
To begin, Sabbath means to simply "cease," or "to rest." In Gen. 2, God creates and then rest to give us an example to follow, a weekly rhythm to embrace. I love the rhythm. Creation is full of rhythm. Read Genesis 1 and the rhythm is unmistakable, "there was evening and morning...." Then at the apex of creation God creates man. God then "rest," blessing this 7th day and declaring it HOLY, i.e. "set apart." This day was to be different than all other days. Think of it like Christmas - a Gift, good food, great company and everybody has the day off! This is the rest of God. The first activity of man is to enter God's rest, a day of rest and for those who follow Jesus a reminder He is our forever REST! Then from rest, we move to be stewards and caretakers the other 6 days.
For the Hebrews, everyday pointed to this Rest of God. The Sabbath day, a seventh day, was a CELEBRATION day. It was a day to worship God (to respond to God with words, thoughts and actions). It was a day to enjoy good food and good people. It was a day to unplug (work, watches, e-mail, internet, blackberries, commerce, "creating," etc).
The next three days were days to REFLECT. "What did I hear from God in my ceasing and resting with Him?" "What was He asking me to obey?" Reflection was key.
The three days leading up to a Sabbath Rhythm were times to PREPARE. It was looking forward to the celebration, the gift of rest with God. It called them to ask, "What must I do to get ready to receive God' day of rest?" "How can I get 7 days of work done in 6 so I can rest 1 day?" This was both a spiritual and a physical "readiness." I "get my work done" at work and at home (for me this is my 6th day) so I can enter a day TRUSTING God for everything.
I'd encourage you to try this pattern--a weekly RHYTHM: Celebrate = A Sabbath Rhythm (Your 7th day); Reflect = three days after your Sabbath Rhythm; and Prepare = three days prior to your next Sabbath rhythm (for me this means the lawn is mowed, the laundry is manageable, NCM stuff is handled, and I'm praying to prepare to receive God's blessings in Sabbath. Please, let GRACE fill each of these days!
The Jewish rabbi , Abraham Joshua Heschel said, "The Sabbath itself is a sanctuary which we build, a sanctuary in time." I hope your Personal Sabbath Development Plan allows you to experience this Rest of God according to your personality type for self-care.
For further reading see the BREATHE booklet on page 38 and 39.
As for the Hughes' we will unplug from work, normal daily task and enjoy our relationship as a family by eating a great meal together, trusting God through the night in our sleep, waking to celebrate in worship and then ceasing from the humdrum of the daily grind! It is alway a fun day. Did I mention I always try to take a NAP in my Sabbath day? I love a Sabbath Rhythm.
Shabbat Shalom!
WES
11 comments:
Prayer: Lord, today we stop to BREATHE deeply the breath we have in you in this Sabbath rhythm. Reclaim us. Revitalize us. Renew us. May your kingdom reign through us. Amen
We just finished a busy weekend and are excited to begin our Sabbath this afternoon (Monday @ 3pm-Tuesday breakfast). I want to begin the rythum in minature and grow from there. So we will are going to use Monday mornings as our day of prep and the afternoon to be intentional about Sabbath.
I am growing very fond of my Sabbath rhythm. I made a commitment about 9 months ago to value REST and my personal self-care. For me this means, taking one year to be intentional to observe one day as my SABBATH and incorportate this into a personal SABBATICAL (no one was going to do this for me so I choose to do it for me). Each Sabbath has become easier to REST and to CEASE. If you found it difficult the first time, don't be discourage, doing nothing gets easier!
My preparation day was interrupted this week which reminds me the Sabbath day is never perfect neither is preparing for one. But again this is a grace day, so I don't mind. It does make it harder to be restful when I need to do the dishes or finish power washing the house!
My family attended the confirmation of a family friend. It was good to see other faith communities at worship. My personality likes the "change" in worship form and function. I did notice a longing for more spontaneity but appreciated the thoughtfulness of the very structured confirmation of young people in this Lutheran church.
We celebrated with the family who just had her daughter confirmed at the Spaghetti Factory. Food and eating food with others is always one of my favorite Sabbath practices (other than sleeping).
I spent the rest of the day relaxing at play with my kids, reading, and reflecting. God continues to remind me in my Sabbath he loves me not because I "do" something for Him but because I am HIS regardless of what I do. This makes me smile in my SABBATH rhythm. I hope you found something to smile about in your day of rest. If not, the rhythm will come again. Enjoy it!
we just closed our first official Sabbath.(Sun 1pm-Mon 1pm)I believe our children enjoyed it as we were able to have some good quality time with them and each other. We went through it under the grace of God, at times realizing we were not resting. It's funny how much we think and believe we are God.
May His Grace bless each and everyone of you in your rest and may He multiply your work. May Sabbath be a joy of our week and may it draw each one of us into His presence. In Him..
My preparation day almost killed me! I worked really hard to get enough done that I could rest. I don't think I made it a full 24 hours before going off to an already scheduled NCM event, but it was a good start. I read, sat in the sunshine, and just relaxed. My spouse had a more difficult time slowing down and understanding my idleness, but we had a good talk about it.
I entered the Sabbath with a tired body, so I made much of the ceasing component. I didn't have any prep time prior to the S but it was still okay. The sun was still shining, my body enjoyed the ease, my mind relaxed. I had space in my heart to pray earnestly for a long lost friend I saw at a wedding who is suffering and her marriage is failing. She and I prayed and I pledged to pray daily for her. I had time to reflect on her disappointment with God, her husband's failing health and subsequent bitterness towards God. It caused me to think of those in the Bible who found hope and faith in difficult situations. I prayed for myself that if my life takes any bad turns in health or relationships that I will cling to God and not keep my distance.
It was really difficult for me to "rest" with so much preplanned activities already on my calendar. So on Monday I got two hours that were very relaxing for me. Spending time with a friend reflecting and sharing life outdoors. Two hours is a long way from twenty-four but I hope to add a little each week. Though circumstances I think will really allow a much more significant SR next week.
My first SR experience with my family was difficult, but well worth our while. We were able to be intentional about prep work and really enjoyed the time set aside. My spouce noted her surprise that forcing a sabbath into our busy week (we have small children and she works full time) really refreshed her. We spent some time out in nature and God blessed our family with the oppertunities to watch beavers (or some other furry woodland water creatures) play in a stream.
The highlight of my first SR was the reflection aspect. Things are so busy on Sunday mornings at my church that I find myself visiting with people rather than preparing to meet with God. Most often I leave our worship service feeling like I didn't meet with God because I mentally didn't show up. I took some extra time Sunday morning to think about some verses that talk about God being with us. (I also had to incorporate the ceasing aspect of SR to sit down a few minutes before things started at church to reflect on God and have some conversation time with Him.)
After a LONG nap (yeah!), I had time to read some from a devotional book I've had for a month and not opened. It was really good to read something for spiritual growth just to think about it and not as a preparation to "be a better minister."
Sabbath observance has been sporadic for me in the recent past. Participating in this "project" offers me the opportunity to make it a regular experience again. I am choosing to use Sunday as my Sabbath day because of the built-in element of worship and the relational aspects associated with that. My wife and I also host a small group at our home on Sunday evenings, which offers additional relational opportunities. On June 3, I spent the afternoon doing some things with my wife that needed to be done around the house, took a nap, and did some preparation for the small group time. I enjoyed the much needed rest and the fact that there was no hecticness about my schedule. It was a good day of worship, fellowship, and rest.
My first sabbath was not all that I had imagined it to be. I was excited that the weather was nice and I was looking forward to spending some time at outside. I made my way to Washington Park in Portland - I was excited about seeing the roses and the beautiful view of the city. Imagine my surprise when I ended up in a traffic jam in the park! Note to self, do not visit Washington park the day before the Rose Parade in Portland! I had several other encounters that I was allowing to make me a little grumpy - I really felt like my Sabbath was being sabbotaged! I eventually was able to have a more relaxed and focused Sabbath on another day.
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