THE RHYTHM OF SABBATH: HOW TO SABBATH (PART 2)

In the last post we talked about how God weaved the design of Sabbath into creation from the very beginning. It is not meant to be a duty or a drudgery, but a delight. It was God's intention to create space for us to enjoy being in his presence together and enjoy his creation together from the start of human history. 

DELIGHT AND RHYTHM

I love the way that Ruth Haley Barton puts it when she says "The point of Sabbath is to honor our need for a sane rhythm of work and rest. It is to honor the body's need for rest, the spirit's need for replenishment and the soul's need to delight itself inGod for God's own sake. It begins with a willingness to acknowledge the limits of our humanness and take steps to live more graciously within the order of things. And the first order of things is that we are creatures and God is the Creator. God is the only One who is infinite. I am finite, which means that I live within physical limits of time and space and bodily limits of strength and energy. There are limits to my capacities relationally, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I am not God. God is the One who can be all things to all people. God is the one who can be two places at once. God is the one who never sleeps. I am not." 

There are two things she mentions about the Sabbath that I believe are foundational for loving and engaging in the rhythm of Sabbath. The first is that it is about delighting in God and His good gifts. We temporarily stop doing one thing so that we create space to start doing something else. We stop working so we can start focusing on who God is and the good gifts he's given us. Too many times when the Sabbath is spoken of it's either all about what you can't do, or it's simply about taking a nap. While I'm and advocate of naps and believe they are a God-given gift, this hardly scratches the surface of enjoying God and his gifts. We'll talk more about ways to enjoy Sabbath shortly. 

The second foundational principal is that Sabbath is meant to be a regular rhythm. Something that happens at a regular time each week. Sunday is often called a Sabbath for many because they go and worship with others in a formal service. This can definitely be a part of Sabbath, and we should never neglect gathering with other followers of Jesus, but simply attending a service does not equal engaging in Sabbath. In fact, as a paid pastor, Sundays are more like work days for me. So I need to set aside a different day as my Sabbath. 

Again, Barton is helpful in giving us advice on the rhythm of Sabbath. She says, "The human being, body and soul, responds to rhythms and is accustomed to living in rhythms- night and day, three meals a day, the seasons of the year. Part of the restfulness of Sabbath is knowing that it is always coming in the same interval, so that we're not making decisions about it every week. When Sabbath is not observed on the same day every week, it means that we go longer than seven days without a Sabbath and that is not optimal." So the best practice is to pick a day and stick with it as long as possible. If you need to change it, make it the exception and not the rule. If you need to change it more than once, then you may need to simply reset your Sabbath day to one that can be regular because of the season you're in.

One last thought before we move into planning your Sabbath is that the Sabbath was meant to be a communal event. It is meant to be celebrated with people you love and who bring life and joy to you. If you are married or have children, your Sabbath should include them. While I know that this may not sound restful, I have found that when you choose to engage in things that feed the soul of those you love, you find yourself being filled as well. Often times those of us who would rather sit and do nothing, need to be reminded of the joy of playing like our children want to do. Additionally, our children need to see and experience that life as a follower of Jesus is different than the rushing anxious world that never ceases to work. Let's turn our imaginations to crafting a day of delight.

DRAINS ON THE SABBATH

What steals your energy? What drains you of joy and delight? These are the things we are called to move away from on the Sabbath. So naturally, God said we should cease work. No checking text messages or email. In fact, you may consider the Sabbath to be a day to go without your smart phone. Our world is addicted to being distracted and our phones are the primary culprit and tool for disengaging. The point of Sabbath is to be present to delight, not escape from reality. Additionally, this means that for us to be able to delight in Sabbath, we need to prepare ahead of time so that there's minimal work. For example, if having a great meal together brings you delight, doing dishes or prepping food usually does not. So to make sure that you're able to truly enjoy your meal on Sabbath, you should do the work of preparing as much of the meal as possible the day before. If having people over to your house means your house needs to be clean, then clean the house the day before.

Another major drain on the Sabbath is worry. Worry is a way of doing emotional and mental work even when not engaged in doing physical work. It's trying to figure out how to handle all of the things that are on our plates and making plans just in case God doesn't do his part. God invites us into sabbath and asks us to lay down our planning and our problem solving and to trust that he is good and that he is going to work all things for our good and for his glory. I have found that when I engage in the things that we're going to talk about next, then my mind is less likely to be engaged in worry and God ends up taking care of what I was trying to solve without my help. 

DELIGHTS ON THE SABBATH

So what do we fill our time with once we have cleared our schedules? The best answer is whatever gives you life, energy, and delight! What are the things that fill your tank? Do the opposite of what drains you. I really appreciate the three categories that Ruth Haley Barton gives in her book Sacred Rhythms. She says that we need REST FOR OUR BODIES, REPLENISHMENT OF OUR SPIRITS, AND RESTORATION OF OUR SOULS.Rest for our bodies include anything that you physically enjoy that recharge your batteries. She includes things like: naps, walks, bike rides, long bubble baths, eating your favorite foods (James Bryan Smith says there's no dieting or calories on the Sabbath...Yay!), sitting in the sun, lighting candles, listening to music, and love making if you are married! With my son it often means after I wake up from my nap and have had a good meal, wrestling with him.

Replenishment for our spirits are the things that fit you more personally. These are the things that reach down deep into your being and give you a wonderful sense of joy. For me it is a combination of something for my body like laying in my hammock or sitting in my comfy chair in my office, and reading a great book that I love that is not related to work like Chronicles of Narnia or C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy. A couple things that recharge both my wife's spirit and mine is sitting around a fire pit after a great meal (notice a pattern?) and hanging out with friends and laughing as the kids play into the darkness of the summer nights. Another favorite is sitting quietly on our patio overlooking our backyard and having a drink with my wife and enjoying the quiet together. This will look different for each person because different things replenish us individually. Find at least one thing you can do that you personally love that fits you. 

Finally we need restoration of our souls. The Sabbath was meant as a day to draw close to God in an unhurried way and simply enjoy being with him. It's possible to incorporate elements of connecting with God into this day in a special way. For example, there are some great prayers from a book called Every Moment Holy like the one called "a liturgy for feasting with friends" that we have used many times. One way to do this as a family is to spend some time after dinner talking about the gifts that God gives us that we are grateful for. If your kids are older, you may set aside a time when there is about 30 minutes to an hour of quiet where everyone takes some time to take a walk and pray, or read the bible on their own. Another way we honor God on this day is by seeking to be loving and affectionate to those around us. In Jewish culture the father would speak blessings over each child before the meal. This is what I see in you that God has made good and that I love about you. For me, one of the most restorative things I can do for my soul is after I have put my son down for the night, take a flashlight and go out on to the golf course by our house and simply enjoy nature and listen for the voice of God. 

So here is your homework! 

MAKE YOUR LISTS. Sit down with those you want to celebrate Sabbath with this week and pull out a piece of paper. Write on the front side the title "life-draining activities." Then spend some time brainstorming together on what you each find draining. Now turn the paper over and write the title "life-giving activities." Write as many things as possible. Recognize that there may be things that give life to others that may feel draining to you. Try to land on the things you have in common and do as many of those things as possible. Then maybe you can carve out some time for the things you individually want to do as well.

Next you can start PLANNING YOUR SABBATH: First, you need to pick the day that you are going to set aside for Sabbath. Then you need to put it on the calendar as a reoccurring event and guard it. I will say this over and over again, time is not made, it is guarded. Unless you say no to things that will compete for your sabbath, you will never have time for it. Then, once you have your lists, begin deciding how to avoid those things that drain your energy. For example, great meals are life-giving, but cleaning up after meals is not. So maybe that means prepping the meal the day before and then having paper plates that can be thrown away. Maybe getting phone calls or text messages pull you into your phone and suck your life away. You may decide to let people know that you will not be answering your phones on that day and will put them in a basket for the rest of the day. 

DON'T GIVE UP. You need to expect resistance to this. The enemy does not want you to be rested. He wants you to worry. He wants to keep you so tired that you are not effective. This means he will try to get your kids to fight you on it. He will try to get sports teams or hobbies to interfere. He will try to get you into an argument with your spouse on that day. Sabbath is learning to live the way we will live for eternity and the adversary wants nothing more than to keep you from God and this beautiful gift he has given us. He'll try to make you feel like a failure if your first couple sabbaths are not that great. Don't give up. Fight back with a day of delight!