“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”
Exodus 20:8-11
Sabbath is not just about ceasing work, but is a weekly opportunity to declare our trust in God's provision and resist the world's demands on our time and energy. As we practice Sabbath, we are invited into a deeper intimacy with God, echoing the first thing humanity did with the Creator—resting and delighting in His presence. In this week’s Sunday message in Brooklyn, Brittany Smigielski challenges us to guard our rest and experience the freedom, healing, and restoration that comes when we obey this holy command.
What is the context?
- Sabbath in Hebrew is “shabbat” which means “to cease, to end, to rest, to stop”
- Sabbath is the first day of the week in Jewish calendars- starting Friday at sundown through Saturday at sundown.
- Jewish leaders added so many additional boundaries to the Sabbath in fear of breaking the Sabbath that it became a list of legalistic rules of what not to do that people have lost sight of the gift that God gave us in Sabbath: a gift of rest anchored in intimacy with him
- “Sabbath is not dependent upon our readiness to stop. We do not stop when we are finished. We do not stop when we complete our phone calls, finish our project, get through this stack of messages, or get out this report that is due tomorrow. We stop because it is time to stop.” Wayne Muller
- We stop and rest to acknowledge and lay down our pride that tries to tell us we can do it all ourselves and admits that we are in need.
Sabbath is not:
- A list of no’s
- Self-care is done in our strength we need something more.
- A time to do errands and household chores
- Escapism
- Legalistic
- Punishment
- God commands his people to set aside 24 hours as a holy day, just as he set it in motion at the beginning, and he commands that they remember creation as they do it
- God called all that he made good, and the creation of humanity very good, but Sabbath is the first thing to be called holy.
- In Deuteronomy, God calls the people to observe (“shamar” in Hebrew) or keep guard over the Sabbath.
- The Israelites were called to keep the Sabbath as the sign that they are no longer slaves bound to endless work for Pharaoh—but God has rescued you and given you the freedom to rest, to delight, to worship.
- Whatever you can’t go a day without you are slave to.
How Jesus observed the Sabbath:
- Jesus brings restoration and freedom back to people. (John 5:1-17)
- Jesus brings light into the darkest of places. (John 9:1-34)
- Jesus brings provision to his disciples and shows that God is the creator. (Luke 6:1-5)
- Jesus confronts the legalism and shows them once again God’s desire for mercy, for healing, for freedom. (Luke 14:1-6)
Additional Resources:
Dinner Party Questions:
- In what ways might practicing Sabbath be a form of resistance against the idols of our time, such as success, money, or status? How could this practice serve as a witness to others?
- How does the concept of Sabbath as both 'remembering' (zakar) and 'guarding' (shamar) change your perspective on this practice? What might it look like to actively guard your rest?
- The sermon emphasizes that Sabbath is about intimacy with God, not legalism. What practices or attitudes help you cultivate genuine rest and delight in God's presence?
Put It Into Practice:
- Identify one way you can incorporate more intentional rest into your weekly routine. This could be putting your phone away for a set period, setting work boundaries, or scheduling time for activities that bring you delight in God.
- Choose a 24-hour period this week to practice Sabbath. Plan how you'll rest, worship, and delight in God during this time.
