SABBATH REST
Leaders Note:
Today’s Study guide involves a brief survey of some key Biblical texts on Sabbath & Rest, followed by a modern practical description of Sabbath by Pete Scazerro. It may be helpful to share the link to this study with the entire group so that people can take turns in reading allowed the longer except below, and to break up into smaller groups if needed for the application and prayer questions.
PRAY TO BEGIN
Read the following foundational Scriptures below, reflecting on the discussion questions below as you go:
Genesis 2:1-4
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
1. Why is it significant that a day of rest was instituted before sin entered the story?
Exodus 20:8-11
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. -
Mark 2:27-28
27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
3. Do you tend to see the concept of a sabbath, as being a blessing or a burden?
4. How have you seen in your life that failing to stop and rest has been detrimental to your wellbeing, both physically and spiritually?
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
5. Why is simply taking time off, or doing things that rest the body insufficient for finding true rest?
6. How does Jesus give rest for the soul?
Read the following description of what a Sabbath day of rest could look like (Taken from ‘The Emotionally Healthy Leader’ by Pete Scazzero). Then answer the application questions below.
Stop.
Sabbath is first and foremost a day when we cease all work — paid and unpaid. On the Sabbath we embrace our limits. We let go of the illusion that we are indispensable to the running of the world. We recognize we will never finish all our goals and projects, and that God is on the throne, managing quite well in ruling the universe without our help. My Sabbath begins Friday night at 6:00 p.m. and ends on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. When I stop my work for Sabbath, I step back from anything to do with my role as pastor of New Life Fellowship Church as well as any writing or speaking prep. I purposefully do not answer e-mails, return phone calls, finish sermons, write, or complete undone leadership tasks. I avoid Twitter and Facebook since social media is connected to my work. I also step back from my unpaid work, such as paying bills, doing laundry, running errands, grocery shopping, and cleaning up around the house.
Rest.
Once we stop, we accept God’s invitation to rest. God rested after his work of creation. Every seventh day, we are to do the same (Genesis 2:1 – 4). We engage in activities that restore and replenish us — from napping, hiking, reading, and eating good food to enjoying hobbies and playing sports. The key is to rest from both paid and unpaid work. Resting from unpaid work, however, requires advance planning. If I am to have any hope of enjoying a Sabbath rest, I need to set aside time during the week to attend to the routine tasks of life I won’t do on Sabbath — paying bills, cleaning or fixing something around the house, doing laundry, and balancing the checkbook, etc. What do I do for rest? I nap, go out on a date with Geri, spend time with our daughters, read a novel, watch a great movie, go for a long hike, swim, visit friends and family, or take a train to enjoy the arts in Manhattan. I may even mow our small lawn as a nice diversion from my work.
Delight.
After finishing his work in creation, God pronounced it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). This was not an anemic afterthought — Oh, well, it’s nice to be done with that — but a joyful recognition and celebration of accomplishment. As part of observing Sabbath, God invites us to join in the celebration, to enjoy and delight in his creation and all the gifts he offers us in it. These innumerable gifts come to us in many forms, including people, places, and things. As part of preparing to practice the Sabbath, one of the most important questions to consider is, “What gives me joy and delight?” This will differ for each of us, but part of the Sabbath invitation is to enjoy and delight in creation and her gifts. Geri and I both delight in the beauty and grandeur of nature — the ocean, lakes, beaches, mountains, and star-filled skies. Geri is a “foodie,” so tasting, smelling, and savoring the gift of food is a high priority for us. I delight in libraries and bookstores. Geri loves cooking a fresh meal. Through any and every means possible, on Sabbath we seek to feast on the miracle of life with our senses.
Contemplate.
Pondering the love of God is the central focus of our Sabbaths. What makes a Sabbath a biblical Sabbath is that it is “holy to the Lord.” We are not taking time off from God; we are drawing closer to him. Sabbath is an invitation to see the invisible in the visible — to recognize the hidden ways God’s goodness is at work in our lives. It does not mean we necessarily spend the entire day in prayer or studying Scripture, though those activities may be part of a Sabbath day. Instead, contemplation means we are acutely focused on those aspects of God’s love that come to us through so many gifts from his hand. As British poet and priest Gerard Manley Hopkins writes, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” Scripture affirms that all creation declares his glory (see Psalm 19:1). On Sabbath, we intentionally look for his grandeur in everything from people, food, and art to babies, sports, hobbies, and music. In this sense, contemplation is an extension of delight — we are intentional about looking for the evidence of God’s love in all of the things he has given us to enjoy. Before I routinely observed the Sabbath, I often returned from vacations or days off feeling somehow farther away from God. Now my Sabbath days are times I experience his presence and love in very tangible ways that I might otherwise associate with my “work” as a pastor. For example, when I experience a sense of God’s pleasure and approval on Sabbath, I know it has nothing to do with my work-related accomplishments.
APPLY.
1. Which of the above aspects of ‘Sabbath’ do you find most challenging to engage in?
2. What is one thing that you could consider subtracting from your life that would mean more time for rest?
3. What things do you find truly restful and truly enjoyable? Do you do these things frequently?
4. How do you enjoy God? What practices, disciplines, or activities bring you genuine Joy in God?
SHARE AND PRAY.
1. On a scale of 1 - 10 how rested do you feel this week? What is contributing to that answer?
2. Do you typically try to practice some form of sabbath or intentional rest? What is one way you would like to grow in this area?
FURTHER RESOURCES….
Practicing the way Podcast episodes on Sabbath