SABBATH SUNDAY
A day of Rest and Worship
Hey church family,
This Sunday is “Sabbath Sunday.”
We’ll take a break from our usual Sunday Service so that we can rest and worship!
It's been a long and tiring year for you, our serve team and leadership. And so it’s only right that we stop to rest in and reflect on Jesus our Saviour.
While the practice for this Sunday will not include a Sunday Service, you’re encouraged to utilize the morning (or entire day) to Sabbath.
What is sabbath?
In short, the Sabbath is a day blessed by God and set aside for rest and worship.
For the Jewish people, the Sabbath begins Friday evening and continues into Saturday afternoon.
However, in our day and age many followers of Jesus observe the Sabbath on Sunday.
There aren’t any rules anchoring the Sabbath to a specific day of the week, we each experiment to find what works best with our lives and schedules.
Jesus often practiced the Sabbath.
“One of the most important practices of Jesus was finding rest and making time for Sabbath. The human condition is prone to restlessness and our digital age and consumeristic culture only exacerbates the problem. We must model the restfulness of Jesus, which is more than just a day, but is a spirit we live by all week long.” - John Mark Comer
PREPARE TO SABBATH
On the time/day you decide to dedicate to the Sabbath, it’s helpful to participate in activities that are restful and worshipful.
Read Genesis 2v1–3 and reflect on the following questions:
Is the idea of a sabbath new to you? Part of your upbringing? Background? Practice?
Did you grow up with any kind of a bias against the sabbath?
Notice that the sabbath takes place in Genesis, long before the “Law.” What does that say about God’s original intention for a day of rest and worship?
God works and rests. What are the implications of that for people made in his image?
The goal of Sabbath rest is to think of activities that will help you rest and worship God.
What activities are restful and worshipful for you?
What preparations will you need to make prior to your sabbath?
What can you do to make the sabbath special? For you? For your spouse, if married? Kids, if a parent?
A DAY OF REST
The Sabbath is a day of rest.
Spend the morning or an entire day in rest and worship by filling your day with activities that are life-giving and restful like:
Eating
Drinking
Reading
Making love to your spouse
Surfing
Hiking
Playing games with your kids
Time with family and friends
A walk to the park
Napping
Prayer
Coffee with a friend
Singing, etc.
A DAY FOR WORSHIP
The Sabbath isn’t just a day for rest, it’s ultimately a day for worship. The end goal isn’t just to take a nap in a hammock or sleep in or finish that novel, although those are all great things to do on the sabbath. But the ultimate goal is to intentionally pursue intimacy with God in a way that lasts beyond the sabbath, and centers you all week long.
Here are some ideas to help you center the Sabbath on worship.
Start the sabbath by reading a Psalm and prayer
In the morning, set aside a good chunk of time to read Scripture, pray, listen to God, and just be with God
If you have a family, set aside a time during the day to read and pray as a family (A Bible story with the kids, prayer walk, worship by singing time, etc.)
Go on a short, slow prayer walk
Go somewhere beautiful in nature - a park, vista, etc. and praise God
Put on a worship song
However you connect with God, do that!
REST AND WORSHIP
The themes of rest and worship during your Sabbath need not be separate, if possible, they can coincide with each other.
For example, you can pray, listen to Scripture during your hike. Or Go and sit in the park to read Scripture and pray etc.
LIMIT THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY
We live in a busy, noisy world, under a non-stop assault of distraction. One of the things that can distract us from getting the most out of our Sabbath is technology.
So we highly recommend that you limit your access to technology during your Sabbath. You can turn off your phone or put it on airplane mode. You can logout of Instagram or Facebook. You can avoid checking email etc. Whatever you need to do to disconnect, do it!
How will you limit your access to technology in order to enjoy the sabbath?
There’s a lot of talk about digital addiction lately. Is your phone, social media, email, etc. a form of addiction for you?
What will be the positive benefits of participating in the Sabbath without phone, social media, or email?
REST WELL CHURCH FAMILY
May your day of rest and worship last beyond the sabbath, and centers you on God all week long.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11v28-30
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
ARTICLE: ‘Keeping the Sabbath: Is it Still Relevant to Christians Today? - https://bibleproject.com/blog/keeping-the-sabbath-is-it-still-relevant-to-christians-today/
WATCH: Sabbath Video by Bible Project - https://bibleproject.com/learn/what-is-the-sabbath/
LISTEN: Hour of Prayer by Austin Stone - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=prayer+austin+stone+church
NOTE: The content on this page is not original to King’s Cross Church, but based on resources developed by Bridgetown Church (http://bridgetown.church).
