The latest book that I am reading along with the Bloom book club is called Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives
Doesn’t that title sound like something we all need? I thought so.
There was a little bit of discussion and concern among Bloomers who wondered if this book would be appropriate for Christians because not only are Jesus and the Scriptures quoted, there are references to Buddhist beliefs, traditional Jewish beliefs and other relgious traditions from other cultures and how they incorporate Sabbath. You can read Angie’s response here.
I will say, I am a few chapters into this book and there are things I don’t agree with. But, that doesn’t bother me in a book. I love reading, and this book has opened my eyes to some other traditions and religions that I wasn’t all that familiar with before – and what this book is bringing together for us is that no matter our religion or culture or background, we were created to need rest. All of us. God, as Muller points out, created rest. He Himself rested. And He called it all good.
Wayne Muller, the author of this book, shares some comments and encouragement on the Bloom blog as well. One thing he shares that really resonates with me is that “We rarely, if ever, feel any permission from anywhere or anyone that it is all right for us to stop, to rest, to take Sabbath time.”
Don’t you find that so true? Especially among other church going Christians? We need more nursery workers, we need more Sunday School teachers, we need more people in the choir, we need this and that and more of this. Don’t get me wrong, I love my church!! I feel called to serve in my church! However, I should be able to say no and not be guilted into serving. I should be able to say no and not be made to feel lazy, right? I am sure all of us have felt this guilt from time to time. In this fast paced world, we are not given permission to slow down and rest by anyone, let alone our own selves!
Wayne Muller states in the introduction of this book that “the busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others.” I found this statement to be very true also. Over the past few years, God has been slowing me down quite a bit, but there used to be a time in my life where a filled-in calendar meant we must be doing well. uggg.
Muller mentions several Scriptures that describe Jesus going off by Himself to pray. (Matthew 14:23, Luke 5:15-16, Mark 1:32 -33, 35-36.) Jesus obviously did not wait until all His work was done before He took time away from the crowds to spend with His Father. “He did not wait until they had completed all their work; He invited them to rest in the middle of their busyness.” (Muller, p. 25.)
I love this. Even in the midst of their most busy times – times of healing, times of preaching, times of discipling, Jesus and His disciples took time away from the crowds to rest and to pray. I think this really shows us how we should live our own lives as well.
Much good comes from rest: restoration, joy, peace, prayer, renewal, perspective. I know I need some Sabbath time in my own life. What about you?
Candace, I am Christian that keeps a Friday sundown to Saturday sundown Sabbath. And I truly keep it as a Sabbath (not how many Christians keep Sunday). We use Friday as our preparation day and make sure the house is clean and most of the food prepared. By sundown, we are relaxing as a family. We take a lot of time to spend as a family and quite a bit of time in Bible study (either as a family or personal). We don’t have to work, do housework, or have any other outside obligations. We attend church services (usually in the afternoon).
It is a very relaxed, enjoyable day. During the summer, we often will go for walks as a family after services.
It is the highlight of the week, and what gets us through all the tough, challenging things that happen. We know that, even if it’s just for one day, we can leave it all behind. No thinking about work, school, etc.
Many ask if it is a burden to keep the Sabbath in this way. It’s not a burden, it is a joy. I love being able to take the time out every week and just relax and focus on God and His word.
We do some serving at church services, but things are relaxed and no one takes on so much they feel stressed about it. (If they start feeling stressed, they drop things.) It also helps keep our outside obligations down because it is one day we can say “No” without feeling any qualms about it.
I am not telling you this to try to ‘convert’ you to a Sabbath keeper. I just wanted to share my views on the Sabbath. It is truly a blessing to have a day made for us to get some R&R.
Hi! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the book and om Sabbath. I’ve shared mine on my blog too – Digging Deeper one. I had the same qualms about the other “stuff” in the book, but I realize it brings a fuller picture to the “concept” of Sabbath rest. Because I read about their beliefs and practices doesn’t mean I am one or have to be one.