Waking Up to the Gift

Finding a rhythm of rest in the practice of Sabbath.

We all know that 2020 was a year that will go down in history. Like years past when people suffered greatly, the year 2020 will not be forgotten. And we will have lived through it. But in order to do so, we had to arrange and re-arrange our lives to cope, make it work, and be the healthiest versions of ourselves on the other side.

In light of the weight from this past year, my husband (Ryan) and I decided to begin the new year with a retreat. We felt the need to give ourselves space to stop, ponder and process what had happened, grieve our losses, consider what we’ve learned, and hope for the future.

So we each booked an Airbnb for 48-hours and concluded with a 24-hour rendezvous together. This 48-hour “retreat” was a long, deep, restorative breath for me. It heightened my awareness of how exhausted I was. It uncovered a desire for more - more quiet, more contemplation, more Jesus. It surfaced my need to tend to my soul, to quiet the noise in order to listen to my inmost thoughts and to God’s voice, and to get away with Jesus in order to recover my life. It birthed in me a longing to establish rhythms of rest in my life.

The next place this led me and Ryan was to seriously consider a weekly sabbath. I knew the Israelites received a command from God to “keep the Sabbath” (Exodus 20:8) Not just any command but one of the top ten. But why was it so important? I knew it was created by God and given to his chosen people, that it had something to do with rest, that it was a part of Jesus’ (and his disciples’) faith and lifestyle, and that my Orthodox Jewish neighbors practiced it as I saw them strolling on the sidewalks on Sabbath because they don’t drive (but whyyy?).

I thought I wasn’t getting it. I was missing the heart of God and my own human need somehow… I decided to begin learning more about it, especially if and how it could be observed outside the Jewish household. I was drawn to the potential yet had no idea how to make it happen meaningfully in my own life.

In the process, I learned that Sabbath keeping is more than just taking a day of rest; it’s a way of ordering your life around a pattern God established in the beginning - working six days and then resting on the seventh. 

Ruth Haley Barton describes it as “a way of arranging our life to honor the rhythm of things--work and rest, fruitfulness and dormancy, giving and receiving, being and doing, activism and surrender.” Life and humans are made with rhythms and for rhythms. By not choosing this invitation of God, I was essentially fighting against the rhythm that was woven into the fabric of creation and of my personal design. 

As I continued to learn, I discovered how countercultural the Sabbath is to a people who derive our worth by our schedules and accomplishments. Most days I can’t imagine being unproductive or unreachable. We are high-efficiency humans who convince ourselves we’re infinite, indispensable, and untouchable. Walter Brueggeman says that Sabbath is an “act of resistance” to the way of our busy, striving, restless culture. John Mark Comer says “Sabbath is a secret weapon on the war of hurry.” I’ve also heard Sabbath termed as an “act of faith” as we embrace our humanity and all its limitations, weaknesses and needs. Embracing our finiteness and surrendering our self-sufficiency keeps us trusting God to tend to our weary souls and to keep the world spinning ‘round while we rest (as if it were ever up to us).

“The sabbath was made for human beings, not human beings for the sabbath.” 

Mark 2:27 

The heart of sabbath is that we cease our work so that we can rest and delight in God and his good gifts. It’s an opportunity for us to stop, rest, delight and worship. It’s a day we give ourselves permission to soften and slow, to be more receptive and available to God and our loved ones, to choose contentment and gratitude over consumerism, and to participate in activities that restore our bodies and souls.

I’m a novice here and am just beginning to unwrap this precious present from God. My family (with children ages six and three) has spent a couple months trying to figure out how to stop, rest, delight and worship. Truthfully, we’re pretty bad at it. Basically stumbling through it each week, at this point. Trying things on, taking them off, seeing what sticks. We’re turning up both the common and unique needs we each have and how to rest and delight in God together and separately.

Some of our “rituals” include commemorating our Sabbath by lighting candles and saying a blessing over our kids, enjoying a day of feasting which usually includes a simple yet special breakfast, reading a bible story aloud, a dance party (on some days), and limiting our use of technology. My husband and I like to give each of our kids one hour of our undivided attention. We take their lead and play hard. As a family, we like to play board and card games (I swear we’ve played Race to the Treasure a billion times!!) and go to the park if the weather permits. Ryan and I give each other an hour of personal time. Here I’ve enjoyed walks, bubble baths and watercoloring. Ryan has enjoyed reading and taking naps. We end our day gathered in the living room for a very short (emphasis on very) “candlelight service” that provides space for us to share confession, forgiveness, encouragement and ends with prayers of gratitude. 

(Resource: We just began reading our way through this Imaginative Prayer book, which focuses on spiritual formation of your children not by passing along information or teaching them what to believe but by giving them experiences of God through their imagination. The author’s goal is to foster connection and shared experience with your children. We sometimes do a chapter together in the morning. It also includes ideas for connecting the theme of the chapter throughout the week.)

If the Sabbath is a rhythm of rest you’re curious about, I encourage you to begin exploring with God how to make the day special for both of you. Don’t be afraid to be a novice, to try things on, to change your mind, for in time you’re sure to discover your Sabbath sweet spot. And that sweet spot may change depending on season of life.

The ancient rabbis knew that the Sabbath is one of “the most precious presents mankind has received from the treasure house of God.” It’s a gift. An invitation. May you accept God’s invitation to come to him, to get away with him, to keep company with him so that we may learn what real rest and enjoyment of God is. 

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

Resources for learning about and practicing Sabbath:

• Teaching series from Bridgetown Church

• Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton

• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero