“Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the Lord your God has commanded you. You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Do not do any work — you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the resident alien who lives within your city gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”
- Deuteronomy 5:12-15
The Practice: 24 hour Sabbath Rest Weekly
Our fifth practice is keeping the Sabbath. The Sabbath is God’s invitation to reject the Pharoahs in our lives and in our beings that yell, “More!” and accept the easy yoke of Jesus and a God who offers rest.
Practically, we encourage you to:
Tailor Sabbath and your Sabbath expectations to your season of life. This list at Practicing the Way gives some great tips for how to practice Sabbath.
Plan. Before you begin, make a list of things you will and will not do during your Sabbath. If you are doing a Sabbath with family, include them in this practice. Plan ahead for any meals to be prepped or items that need to be bought.
Embrace a six day “work” week. It is standard to have a five day work week when it comes to our jobs that pay the bills. Choose one of the other two days to engage in all the other work you need to do - cleaning, running errands, purchasing - so that your Sabbath can be free. If you are unemployed or underemployed, choose a day that you will not chase leads or allow yourself to worry about your employment status but rest in the finished work of Jesus.
Just try it. Heed Ruth Haley Barton’s words, “To fall in love with it you have to try it”.
Books
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly - Marva J. Dawn
Sabbath as Resistance - Walter Brueggemann