Practicing the Sabbath
SABBATH PRACTICES
The Family dinner | Jesus on the night he would be betrayed gathered his closest friends’ for a meal he “eagerly desired” to share with them (Luke 22:15). Luke would go on to write, “And [Jesus] took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19 ESV). “Do this”– was not a tiny cracker and a sip of juice– it was a meal, it was thankfulness, it was celebrating God’s liberation– it was life around a table. When we gather around a table we proclaim the story of Jesus, and we become the family of God.
Practice | commit to a regular rhythm of a home-cooked meal with followers of Christ.
Lighting the Remembrance Candles | Observing the Sabbath helps us recognize and appreciate our reliance on God. Moses in Exodus 31 is instructed by God to “[t]ell the people of Israel: “be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation’” (Exodus 31:13). For those of us who practice sabbathing, every seven days offers an embodied reminder of the covenant God made with the Israelites and his liberation from the Egyptian empire. Sabbath is a day of remembrance. Thus we follow the example of Israelites before us in lighting two small candles in remembrance.
PRACTICE | Typically two candles are lit at the beginning of the Sabbath corresponding to two aspects; remembering (Exodus 20:8) and guarding (Deuteronomy 5:12). A prayer is typically offered, a common one is–
Blessed are You,
LORD our God,
King of the universe,
Who sanctified us with his commandments,
and commanded us to be a light to the nations
and Who gave to us Jesus our Messiah
the Light of the world.
Scripture reading | Include reading through two passages of scripture, one from the old testament and one from the new testament. The scripture is not a magic text or instant transformation, it is a written account of God’s activity in his people. Through regular engagement, the story of Christ seeps into our bones and becomes a part of our story. Scripture reading every sabbath centers our attention and affections on our good God. You can read a different passage each sabbath or read the same few every sabbath.
Suggested Reading: Genesis 2:1-3, Genesis 18:1-8, Exodus 16:28-29, Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 31:13-14, 16, Leviticus 23:3, Deuteronomy 5:15, Psalm 23, Psalm 90, Isaiah 56:1-8, Isaiah 58:13, Ezekiel 20:20, Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 4:14-21, 2 Corinthians 9:10-11, Revelation 22:1-6
Pursuing Mindfulness | Often, when we think of rest or time-off we think of all the activities we get to do; binging a show, shopping, or gaming. However, these activities rarely offer us the rest we so desperately long for and need. All these activities offer a distraction for our mind. A state of mindlessness that does not produce rest, it simply offers a brief numbing. Rest comes from mindfulness not mindlessness. Therefore, we should abstain from mindless activities and lean into those activities that help us process our emotions and focus on gratitude.
PRACTICE | Abstain from binging television, video games, or videos. Read a book, take a walk, share what you are grateful for, share stories, or play board games.
Cultivating a Content Heart | It is theorized that the average American sees between 6,000 and 10,000 advertisements per day. Every day we are exposed to a plethora of messages that are telling us to buy, to be, and to experience something we are not and dissatisfaction has become a way of life. Yet, we follow the King that said, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:25–26 ESV). In a bizarre reflection on nature, Jesus tells us to remain content. Content with our possessions, our sustenance, and with who we are. Therefore, each sabbath let us abstain from those things that would draw us out of the contentment of Christ and into the satisfaction of our land.
PRACTICE | Phone powered off or set to do not disturb, abstain from social media, checking emails, and spending time on your phone generally. Abstain from shopping and online shopping. (The occasional grocery store trip may be necessary.
The Afternoon nap | In a well known story the prophet Elijah, after a particularly stressful day, groans, “It is enough! Now, O Lord, take away my life” (1 Kings 19:4 ESV; emphasis added). He promptly laid down for a nap, and then he awoke for a snack prepared by God. We’ve all had those days where giving up seems much easier than moving forward. However, I am always amazed at the power of a simple nap and snack. So lean into napping on your sabbath. Let it be a reminder of the rest we are given by Christ.
PRACTICE | Take a nap, or simply take thirty minutes or an hour for the whole household to just lay down. Even if you do not nap, the stillness will bring rest.
The Evening Walk | “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8 ESV). Before humanity’s rebellion; God would take an evening walk with his creation. We do not know the content of their conversation, we do not know how far, or the path that we walk; all we know is that God walked. There is something sacred and centering about simply walking with family in the cool of the night. Sometimes conversation is easy, sometimes silence walks with us, either way the walk is worth it.
