Sabbath and Rest

[Emma Hodges]

I really enjoyed reading this book and it challenged me in my thinking around sabbath. Here are a few of my takeaways:

1) Sabbath is a biblical commandment and is something that is so emphasized in church history and in Jesus’ ministry. The idea of sabbath is not just a new concept built for the busy world that we live in today, but instead it is something that has been practiced for generations and is something that is applicable in any phase or stage of life.

2) The idea of sabbath is weird, and that is a way to witness to others. I appreciated the stories told by the author about his time overseas where he got to share with others from another religion about sabbath and the reasoning why he practiced it. He also spoke about how people are intrigued by things that are weird or odd, and so the practice of Sabbath can be a good way to open doors to talk to people as they will be interested in the weird idea of it.

3) Sabbath doesn’t fit into our ideas of what “productivity” looks like, and maybe that is the point. The reality is that the idea of taking a day to rest and not get things done is very counter cultural to what is emphasized in our world today. We are taught to go, go, go and to work hard but often times, Sabbath is exactly what we need in those moments. God created sabbath as a way for us to spend intentional time resting and being with Him, and that is essential for our life long success.

[Jaylen]

The author of the book mentioned that the Church should be a place where people go to rest, not a place where they burn out.
Yet interestingly enough I feel like it’s commonplace to hear people say they feel burnt out from churches, and I don’t think it’s a foreign idea that churches will overwork their staff. He said somewhat sarcastically that he used to get offended when people fell asleep in Church, but his recent perspectives on the Sabbath have shifted somewhat to a point where he appreciates it to a certain degree.
I think this is an interesting perspective to ruminate on; is the Church a restful place? How can it become more restful? Does it fuel its congregation with the Spirit of God?

He also described the difficulty of Sabbath as being that it is a time when we step away for a day from the Spiritual Battles we are going through in our lives. Thus furthering our need to rely on God as our protector.
I think people don’t really think about Sabbath as something where you step away from spirituality, but if anything you step into it more and instead step away from practical things. Yet here the author suggests taking a step down from spiritual battles. I don’t know if I agree 100%, because the context for each person is what matters in this case. Regardless, it’s an interesting concept to keep in mind when dialing in how you do sabbath.

I think I have a lot of hobbies that will unlock while overseas. I love exploring nature, and East Africa is a rich new environment with tons of stuff to see. I definitely plan on going out and spending time with God while out in the forest or beach, experiencing his creation in such a pure state.