“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.” (Matt. 11:28 MSG)
On Sunday, the Disciples Fellowship Group at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ wrapped up their discussion of Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity(Keri Wyatt Kent. Zondervan. 2009).* We invite you to enter into a Sabbath prayer with us.
Rest (Keri Wyatt Kent)
Disciples Fellowship Group/Summer 2011
Chapter 7: Praying: An Antidote for Self-Absorption, Part 2
“Praying is not necessarily reciting words but listening. It’s noticing where God is at work and then joining in that work. It is appropriate to do something to help the poor on Sabbath or to serve others.” (p. 193)
“The point of fasting and repentance is not to demand things of God but to identify with the oppressed… ‘The Sabbath is a day for sharing, for gifting others in many ways, for knowing that the Lord of the Sabbath provides abundantly for us so that we can, in turn, be generous.’” (p. 194)
“Why serve the poor on Sabbath? Because Sabbath is more than a day. It’s a mindset that informs not only spiritual practice but economic realities. Exodus 23: 10-12
6 years of sowing and harvesting but on the 7th year let the land lie unplowed. 6 days to do your work, but on the 7th day, do not work. “The Sabbath thus captures the double theme of the creation story: abundance as divine gift, and self-limitation as the appropriate response.” (p. 196)
“Torah’s Sabbath regulations represent God’s strategy for teaching Israel about its dependence upon the land as a gift to share equitably, not as a possession to exploit… the goal of ‘enough’ for everyone, and the prohibition on accumulation.” (p. 198)
Do you think of self-limitation as the appropriate response to abundance?
“If we live a life of Sabbath Simplicity, we don’t rest all the time. In fact, we work six days out of seven.” (p. 196)
Fundamental difference between Shabbat and mere leisure: Sabbath is not just a day to chill out and relax (though that may be part of it). It’s a day to cultivate gratitude, which should lead us to generosity. It is a spiritual practice, meant to transform our hearts. The heart of the Sabbath commandment is freedom, not just for those who practice it but also for all people. The call to Sabbath is a call to social justice. (p. 197)
Discuss what activities, practices, etc. you could implement in your family to practice Sabbath as described above.
Praying with your Family
I Sam. 7:12, Samuel acknowledged a miraculous victory over the Philistine army by building an altar. He took a stone and named it Ebenezer which means “stone of help”. One family set a small bowl of stones on the table and asked each family member to take one and answer the question, “Where has God helped me this week?” (p. 199)
Pray without Ceasing
Breath prayers. We breathe whether we think of it or not. “Just as we are not often conscious of our breathing, we are often unaware of God. This does not negate God’s existence, anymore than our lack of attention means we have stopped breathing. Rather both instances tell us something about our level of perception. Becoming aware of God is like becoming aware of our breathing. We simply need to be quiet and pay attention.” (p. 201)
“What if ‘pray without ceasing’ is not about talking at God but about listening to God or simply noticing that everything that has breath is praising the LORD, because everything that breathes is saying his name: ‘Yah, hey, vod, hey’”? (p. 201)
*Desire more? This study builds upon
Theresa prepared the below material to facilitate the conversation (Note: study posted in PDF here). You'll note how our fellowship group's consideration of Rest has themes similar to what is found in Theresa's God at Work Testimony (6/19/2011). Feel free to share your thoughts with us by comments, email, personal conversation ...
