Recovering the Ancient Practice of Sabbath in a Busy World

What is Sabbath and why does it matter? I've had my own battle with this spiritual discipline but the more I study Sabbath, the more I'm convinced it is crucial for a joyful life.

Sep 27, 2024

woman in black jacket and blue denim jeans standing on green grass field during daytime — Photo by Ryan Storrier on Unsplash

Hey friends!

Well, London rain has crept its way back into the month and although I miss the warmth of the sun, I actually find the pitter patter of rain drops quite soothing. Autumn is folding in and I am here for it because it is my favorite season.

I love the way the cool night air lingers into the crisp mornings. I love that in a single day a tree can completely change, somehow becoming more beautiful in losing its leaves than when growing them. I love mulled wine and warm cider and toasty fires. I love the anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas and visits to see family.

Somehow autumn teaches me about loss and hope and time and change all at once. Out of all the seasons, it always seems to go by too quickly.

Speaking of too quickly… Life has been busy these days. As I continue to build a new rhythm, I’m simultaneously finding myself firing through checklists to fit in more. It’s a familiar story, really. The achiever in me bounces off the walls of a slower life. I want to slow down and savor, to soak in God’s presence, to settle into a good book, to delight in rest, to take the scenic route to the train station. Yet, more often than not, I find myself eagerly moving too quickly.

The tricky thing is, I know the slower pace is God’s pace. I know rest is actually what I need most to be fully alive in all that I do. And yet, some very human part of me battles the slower life in order to quicken my steps and speed up. And, if I’m not paying close enough attention, my margin for rest shrinks and shrinks until it’s just a sliver of light through a cracked door.

So, how can we build a weekly rhythm of rest in the midst of a busy life? Well, friends, we can practice Sabbath. Ah yes, Sabbath. I wish I could say this was my favorite discipline — although I’m still holding out hope that one day it will be. In truth, one of the most challenging practices of Jesus for me has always been Sabbath. I have battled against it more than any other spiritual discipline.

And yet, Sabbath is one of the most important practices for a joyful life. Ask anyone who keeps Sabbath regularly and most will say it is their favorite day of the week. So, today I want to deep dive Sabbath with you. And secretly my hope, which will be the undercurrent of my writing this week, is that I can recover the lost art of Sabbath for myself.

So, let’s dig in together.

From the very beginning of time, God designed creation with a natural rhythm of rest and delight.

In Genesis, God creates the world in six days and on the seventh, he rests.1 God — the creator of the universe, of all living and breathing things, of the cosmos, of every star and planet and galaxy — this God chose to rest. This is quite profound really. He created this world with a rhythm that emphasized the importance of rest.

“So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation” (Gen. 2:1-3).

When we first encounter Sabbath, God is resting as he sits back and looks at all he created, knowing it was good. He rests and delights in the glory of his creation.

Dan Allender writes, “In many ways, God’s rest on the seventh day of creation is paralleled by the birthing process and the period after birth, when the labor is finished yet the bonding begins. The mother and father gaze endlessly at their child, who is distinct from the parents because she is no longer merely in the mind and the womb of the mother, but external and separate. She is no longer solely in the imagination or deep in the womb; she is finally released to be held in the arms of the parents.”2

I imagine God soaking in his love for creation on the seventh day, delighting in what he created. If we mimic this template in our own lives, when we Sabbath, we too stand back and look at God’s goodness in creation. We bask in his glory which is displayed in everything. It is a day to delight in wonder and joy with God.

When we Sabbath, we, too, should be soaking in love. We put away our distractions and check in on our relationships. We love ourselves by resting well. We eat with people and celebrate connection. We read a good book. We share a great bottle of wine. We meditate on scripture. We sit back and look at all God has done and continues to do in our lives, and we rest in his glory. This idea of Sabbath is really quite beautiful. Even as I write it out, I’m overcome with God’s goodness in desiring this for us.

You see, Sabbath is just as much about worship and delight in God as it is about rest. God originally wove Sabbath into the fabric of creation as a day to delight. He rested and delighted in his creation. He chose to rest and delight. He modeled it for us intentionally, knowing how deeply we would need it.

Because it is through the delight and rest and love that we encounter joy. And it is that very joy that lingers and leaks into the days that follow Sabbath. The gratitude and worship blur the lines between suffering and joy. The presence of God which is always all around us suddenly becomes more real and tangible through our surrender of hurry.

Perhaps in this way, the practice of Sabbath can then become something we desire instead of something we resist or ignore. Maybe it is through practicing Sabbath that we access the Father’s heart for ourselves and the people around us. Maybe Sabbath is actually key to it all.

So, why do I so often fight against it?

Why do I find myself struggling to set a day apart to be present and available to the God who created me and the people I love without the distractions of the world leaking in? Why does Sabbath feel like an act of resistance against a menacing enemy? An internal battle between what I want and what I need.

You see I’ve gotten so used to a hurried life, that slowing down feels like a punishment or a failure in efficiency. I’ve gotten so caught up in upward mobility and achievement that the idea of stopping, resting, and delighting feels like a waste of precious time. This toxic view of time is so enticing and addicting that I find myself choosing a busy life over a slower pace time and time again. Yet, God is not a hurried God. He is a God that rests and delights.

So often we pass right by that bit of scripture in Genesis, or misinterpret it at best, and we find any number of reasons why rest isn’t realistic for us. We convince ourselves that the demands of our lives are too great to stop. We are addicted to our phones and television and social media and our internet connection. We let pride fool us into believing our lives will not move forward in God’s plans without our endless organizing and doing. We are constantly being bombarded with reasons to be distracted. This is the world we enter into and try to Sabbath in. No wonder it’s such a tricky thing.

Practicing the Way explains, “Sabbath rest is a form of resistance. There are powerful forces — both external and internal — that war against a Sabbath spirituality. To sabbath will require that we resist.”3

It’s quite remarkable when you think about how quickly we pick up our phones to fill our time, how easy it is to switch on the TV in order to unwind, or how many hours we doomscroll on Instagram or Facebook or TikTok without even realizing it is forming us. We have become so dependent on the computers in our pockets or the TVs in our lounge or the laptop on our table, we’re not sure what we’d do without them. And, none of these things are necessarily all bad. There are plenty of good and wonderful things that technology has allowed for. But, we don’t monitor our use of them well.

And this is where God breaks in. He knows what pulls us and distracts us. In all his wisdom, he knows us better than we know ourselves.

Sabbath at its very core was established for us. It was meant to create space in the midst of a chaotic world and our busy schedules in order to rest and be present and full of gratitude for all God has created and provided. He knows us so well that he not only talked about Sabbath as a nice thing to do in Genesis, but he gave it to Moses in Exodus as one of the ten commandments.4 He knew how difficult it would be for us to keep Sabbath a part of our lives.

I’ve read the ten commandments a thousand times and I constantly find myself reading past Sabbath as if it’s a nice sentiment but not as important as the others. Number four seems to slip off the list of importance so easily: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”5 Surely the Sabbath isn’t as important as the other big ones — you know, love God and no other gods, honor your parents, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, etc. Surely Sabbath isn’t as essential as those. Yet, there is no hierarchy of importance here. These commandments collectively are meant to cultivate a good life.

Even the very placement of the Sabbath commandment is interesting. Dan B. Allender writes, “In the Ten Commandments, the fourth (Sabbath) is the bridge that takes us from the first three, which focus on God, to the final five, which concentrate on our relationships with others.”6

I think the placement is quite intentional really. Because practicing Sabbath allows us to better fulfill our calling to love and treat others well. Rest and delight in God’s goodness leads to joy. God commands us to Sabbath because he knows we can’t move through this world without rest and delight in him. Because without rest and delight in God, we can’t love people the way he has called us to. We can’t navigate loss and suffering the way he longs for us to. We can’t encounter his love for us the way we were always meant to.

Sabbath asks us to pause and delight in God and his creation. It shifts our focus away from the demands and distractions of the world and helps us fix our eyes on the Creator of the Universe. Sabbath teaches us how to love and be loved.

You see, I’ve seen Sabbath as something that is required of me instead of something that is life giving for me. Sabbath is an opportunity to fix my eyes on God and encounter his love, to stand in awe of creation, to delight in the people God has provided me with on this earth in this very short and beautiful existence. Sabbath teaches me to be present. Sabbath is a gift.

So, what would it look like to incorporate a Sabbath day into your weekly rhythm?

I must admit, after writing this post I have been overcome by a longing to practice Sabbath the way God always intended me to. I’m not sure how it will go and I’m certain I won’t always get it right, but I want to try. And I invite you to join me in trying Sabbath for yourself.

Practicing the Way provides a Sabbath practice where you can work your way through on your own or with a small group. In this practice, they provide five great tips concerning Sabbath which I have found really helpful:

01 Start small
Start where you are, not where you “should” be. If a full 24 hours is too much, start with a half day; if that’s too much, start with a few hours.
02 Think subtraction, not addition
Please do not “add” Sabbath into your already overbusy, overfull life. Think: what can I cut out? A weekend sports team? A house project? Weekend emails?Formation is about less, not more.
03 You get out what you put in
The more fully you give yourself to this Practice, the more life-changing it will be. The more your just dabble with it and the more shortcuts you take, the less transformation you will experience.
04 Remember the J-curve
Experts on learning tell us that whenever we set out to master a new skill, it tends to follow a J-shaped curve; we tend to get worse before we get better. If you currently enjoy your Sunday routine or day off, don’t be surprised if your first few Sabbaths are awkward and difficult. Just stay with the Practice; you will come around.
05 There is no formation without repetition
Spiritual formation is slow, deep, cumulative work that takes years, not weeks. The goal of this four-session experience is just to get you started on a journey of a lifetime. Upon completion of this Practice, you will have a map for the journey ahead and hopefully some possible companions for the Way. But what you do next is up to you.7

There are lots of common things that people include in their Sabbath day:

Enjoy beauty (art, nature, literature, poetry, music, etc.)
Host a dinner with friends
Enjoy time with your family
Have a picnic with friends
Take some time to rest your body by having a nap or lounging
Set up a date with a close friend
Set aside some time for intimacy with your partner or spouse
Spend time in nature by going for a walk or a hike
Have some time of solitude or silence
Sit in soak in God’s presence
Listen to worship music
Dance to your favorite song

These are just a few of the many things that could be woven into your Sabbath to bring you delight and rest. The main thing is you let yourself unplug a bit and focus on God and his creation — which includes so much, your friends and family, nature, art, music. As you enjoy these things, be present to them and to the Creator.

It’s also important to maybe take away some of the things that can be distracting or lure you back into the pressures and demands of the world. Here are a couple of things to minimize or take away in order to help you delight and rest:

Avoid buying or selling things
Take a break from technology by shutting off your phone, computer, and television

Maybe you’ve read the above lists and a few resonated with you. I hope that’s the case. I want to encourage you to pick a day or a half day or even a few hours that will become your Sabbath each week and try to incorporate some of these rhythms. Try taking away some of the things that may distract you from rest and delight. Be present to the God who created you and to the people around you. And, most importantly, fix your eyes on the Creator knowing how deeply you are cherished and loved.

My prayer for you (and me) is that we enter this practice with a curiosity and hunger for God’s goodness. I pray we learn to rest and delight with the one who designed us to enjoy Sabbath. I pray that along the way, God fills all the spaces of our lives with joy. And, maybe, just maybe, Sabbath can become our favorite day of the week.

The Poetry Nook

The following is Wendell Berry’s Sabbath Poem, “1985, V”:

How long does it take to make the woods?
As long as it takes to make the world.
The woods is present as the world is, the presence
of all its past, and of all its time to come.
It is always finished, it is always being made, the act
of its making forever greater than the act of its destruction.
It is a part of eternity, for its end and beginning
belong to the end and beginning of all things,
the beginning lost in the end, the end in the beginning.
What is the way to the woods, how do you go there?
By climbing up through the six days’ field,
kept in all the body’s years, the body’s
sorrow, weariness, and joy. By passing through
the narrow gate on the far side of that field
where the pasture grass of the body’s life gives way
to the high, original standing of the trees.
By coming into the shadow, the shadow
of the grace of the strait way’s ending,
the shadow of the mercy of light.
Why must the gate be narrow?
Because you cannot pass beyond it burdened.
To come in among these trees you must leave behind
the six days’ world, all of it, all of its plans and hopes.
You must come without weapon or tool, alone,
expecting nothing, remembering nothing,
into the ease of sight, the brotherhood [and sisterhood!] of eye and leaf.
+ Wendell Berry

There’s a Book on That

There are quite a few really solid books on Sabbath, but one of the best is Dan B. Allender’s Sabbath. This book is challenging and poetic and really beautiful. Allender takes readers through his own journey with Sabbath and shares some incredible insight along the way. It is an extremely valuable resource for practicing Sabbath.

As always, here is a taster:

“Perhaps one of the most radical gifts we can bring the developing Third World and the decaying Western society is the Sabbath. Not a day off, but a day of celebration and delight. The Sabbath is a day when the kingdom to come has come and is celebrated now rather than anticipated tomorrow. It is a fiction, a theator of a divine comedy that practices eternity as a present reality rather than a future state. Sabbath is not about time off or a break in routine. It is not a minivacation to give us a respite so we are better prepared to go back to work. The Sabbath is far more than a diversion; it is meant to be an encounter with God’s delight.”8

Just in case you missed these recent posts:

Building a Rhythm of Prayer: Prayer is the most natural thing we can do as human beings because it is in our very design to communicate with the one who created us. Can a rhythm of prayer lead to transformation?
Navigating Political Conversations with Grace: There isn't anything quite more divisive these days than politics. So, what does it look like to engage in political conversations with grace?
An Exploration of Time: We have this one precious life, so how do we live it well? How does God invite us to look at time?
Sacred Stops on the Journey of Calling: The journey of calling is lifelong and God will plant us in different places, jobs, and seasons along the way. Why is it important to tune into God's voice to reflect on the purpose of placement?

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