Remember the Sabbath and keep It Holy. Exodus 20:8

I love celebrating my Sabbath. I absolutely look forward to this weekly gift. But it was not always this way.

After coming to faith at age 26, I was introduced to the concept of a weekly Sabbath. However, it all just seemed to be a bunch of rules and things you shouldn’t be doing on Sunday. Some of them I wanted to do. 

Years later, in our faith journey, Pete and Gerri Scazzero (Emotionally Healthy Spirituality) introduced my wife Tracy and I to modern day Sabbath keeping. We discovered it to be a wonderful gift. We embraced it and we have never looked back.  

Generally, our Sabbath consists of activities that draw us to the Lord. We engage in behaviours that produce joy and we abstain from things that are work or feel like work. Keeping Sabbath has looked different for us in different seasons of our lives.

Currently, we celebrate it from Saturday evening to Sunday dinner. Others may pick another 24 hour period during the week. Here are some of the things we’ve tried to do.  

• Prepare for it. We often have a quick conversation about what we plan to do for this week’s Sabbath. When our children were at home, we’d work with them to try and get all our weekly chores done by Saturday dinner. If there was something that needed to be done on the weekend, we would find a time on Saturday to deal with it. It does take work and planning to enjoy a Sabbath, but it’s been well worth it.
• Celebrate the day.  We celebrate the Lord’s goodness to us each week with a meal that is just a bit more special. This is what sold the Sabbath for our kids. Each week one of the kids could request their favorite meal, which we would prepare Saturday night. Soon we were all looking forward to the start of our weekly Sabbath. There is just something wonderful when the whole family sits down to an enjoyable meal together to start a day of rest. As our kids got older, they would help us prepare the meal and even come up with their own recipes.  
• Stop doing anything that feels like work. For me that means I get to ignore my email for a whole day. Certain books would feel like I’m reading for work, those are ignored. We stay away from home chores and we try not to shop.
• Engage in what brings YOU joy. For me, this includes attending a worship service, enjoying good food, having chats with people, going on a long run with a friend or by myself, playing with my camera and, of course, watching football in the fall.  
• Take some contemplative time. I’ve been challenged by Colossians 3 recently.  “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. “ On my Sabbath, I’m working to spend more time in contemplation and to set my mind and heart on things above. 
• Be flexible. It’s not about rule keeping. Tracy and I try not to shop on Sundays. But sometimes we do. We don’t condemn ourselves for that. We find the rhythm that works for us. We stay committed to the discipline of a Sabbath, but if circumstances change, we’re willing to as well.  

It’s Counter Cultural!

God gave the Israelites the command to keep the Sabbath as part of the ten commandments. He said it was holy – meaning it was set apart to be different. They had just been delivered from slavery and now they were free to rest one day a week. It was a sign to those around them that something different was happening. It communicated that they trusted in God for their provision. It can be the same for us today. As life has become faster, it feels like we have become slaves to our work and culture. Practicing Sabbath sends a message to those around us that something else is going on for us. That we are free and it’s beautiful and joyful. 

I believe my Sabbath practice sustains me in the long run. Often, I’m working hard all week. Ministry has no end of demands, helping with our kids and their lives, and commitments to our local church often means I’m engaged and working from morning to late evening multiple days a week. A day of rest, drawing closer to my God and embracing joy puts the gas in my tank. I honestly believe it gives me the strength to give much more on a week to week, month to month and year to year basis. It’s an antidote for burnout.

Reflection:

1. If you don’t celebrate a Sabbath and want to give it a try, talk to your spouse (if married) about starting one. You need your family on board to accomplish it.
2. Plan it. Make a list of things that bring you joy and decide what is work and what you won’t do.
3. Figure out how you’ll accomplish your work and home chores before your Sabbath arrives.
4. Work the plan and evaluate it, making adjustments as needed.
5. Don’t get down if you blow it and end up doing what you didn’t want to. Keep at it.

Great short resource: Pete Scazzero’s e-book:https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/sabbath/