Last week, Cherri and I were on an Alaskan cruise with Tim and Suzanne Woolworth. It was a great time of friendship and adventure. The one thing I wasn’t expecting was peace. Unfortunately for me, it has taken me way too many years to allow myself to rest and be at peace. One of the books I read while on the cruise is “This Thing Called Christianity” by Jefferson Bethke. Chapter 5 is called Sabbath: The Blessing of Rest. While reading this chapter on the balcony overlooking the inside passage of Alaska, I realized that I have finally got to that point in my life where I feel rest and peace.
As men, we are always so busy doing things that we really don’t take time to rest and be at peace. That busyness can be family, work, hobbies or any number of other things we prioritize over rest and peace. For the majority of my life, it was always work. One of Bethke’s questions in this chapter was related to a trip in Africa he took (you’ll have to read the book to find out the context) and asks “When was the last time you rested and let your soul catch up?”. That hit me hard. I have always been busy (especially with work) doing things instead of taking a break (Sabbath) to let my soul catch up.
We are commanded to rest, or Sabbath. God begins in Genesis 2:2-3 by being the example by resting on the 7th day after finishing creation. Exodus 20:8-11 we are given the commandment to remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. Deuteronomy 5:12-14 also recounts the Sabbath. Isaiah 58:13-14 encourages believers to delight and honor the Sabbath by focusing on God’s ways rather than personal pursuits. Leviticus 23:3 establishes the Sabbath as a day of solemn rest and sacred assembly. In the New Testament, in Mark 2:27 Jesus reminds us that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath and Hebrews 4:9-10 speaks to a spiritual Sabbath-rest that remains for the people of God.
Practicing Sabbath does not mean that you sit around praying all day or being quiet or just sitting around killing time until Sabbath is done. Are you taking the time to do things that are focusing your attention on God and spiritual things? For me, part of my Sabbath is music. It takes me about 2.5 hours to mow my lawn. I put in my earbuds and listen to music while I mow on Saturday or Sunday. It is amazing what 2.5 hours of continuous Worship music can do for your soul if you really listen to the words. At this point, I am going to put in a shameless plug for the Seventh Day Slumber concert on Sunday, July 26th at 6:30pm at the church. If you like a little ‘heavier’ music, like I do, come and Sabbath with me at their Worship concert.
Have you ever thought about Adam’s first day on earth? His first full day on earth was God’s Sabbath. The first full day of life, he experienced the fullness of God’s presence during God’s Sabbath.
The Sabbath evolved after the Exodus when God takes the Israelites out of Egypt in Exodus 31. It is also revisited in Deuteronomy 5 where God reminds them that He brought them out of slavery and tells them to take a day off every seven days because they are no longer slaves (one of my favorite worship songs, No Longer Slaves). God puts that there to remind us we are free. If we aren’t Sabbathing (is that a word?), are we free or are we slaves to work, performance, our phones, to being in the know, to pleasure, to addiction? Sabbath is a day to celebrate and remember we are free people and are under God’s kingdom.
As I was sitting on the balcony in Alaska, for the first time in a long time I felt rest and peace and a quiet voice in my soul reflecting on God’s goodness. I truly experienced Sabbath.
Jefferson Bethke ends the chapter this way:
“Do you treat the Sabbath as a day of delight or a day of boredom? What fills you up? What gives you delight? What makes you feel new?
Whatever your answer – if it’s in line with the new heavens and earth ethic – then do that thing. Paint. Eat. Laugh. Hike.
That’s the Sabbath, and that’s worship. That’s the freedom to delight as a follower of Jesus.”
Reflect on those questions above. What do you need to do to experience Sabbath and “let your soul catch up”?
Written By: Jeff Abner
