Embracing Sabbath in Community
"Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you." Deuteronomy 5:12 NRSV
Series: Embracing Community in an Age of Individualism
Devotional: 5 of 6
Looking back on what we have covered so far in this series, we have observed how the following spiritual disciplines help us as we seek to embrace community in an age of individualism:
Prayer bonds our souls together in the presence of God.
Worship fosters a heart of gratitude.
Studying God's Word illuminates our collective path forward as the body of Christ.
Here is a fourth spiritual discipline that invites us into a deeper life with God in community: Sabbath.
Observing the Sabbath creates unhurried space in the presence of God and others. With no agenda, nothing to accomplish, purchase, or maintain, we are free to embrace life with God in community. Truly, Sabbath is a gift that shows up on our doorstep once every seven days, calling us into an intentional rhythm of remembrance.
Practicing the Sabbath in community establishes a pattern of rest and reflection, which in turn reminds each of us of the goodness of God. Indeed, Psalms 65:9-10 NRSV paints a beautiful picture of God’s goodness. "You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth."
Additionally, the Sabbath provides you and me a unique opportunity to slow down and remember the lives of those who have gone before us. In this place, our lives become anchored in time to the lives of faithful friends, family, and other followers of Jesus, such as Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen, C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Thomas A. Kempis. Their stories serve as a continual reminder of God's faithfulness down through the ages.
Finally, Hebrews 4:9-10 tells us that "a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, for those who enter God's rest also rest from their labors as God did from his." With these words, the rest that is available to each of us when we choose to observe the Sabbath reminds us of the greater deliverance we have in Christ.
Today, take a minute to reflect on how God might be inviting you to observe the Sabbath in community. As you do, allow yourself to sit in a posture of remembrance, carefully considering all that the Lord has done and is doing in and around you.
OnThe3rdDay Devotionals
Devotionals that illustrate Biblical principles in a simple and short format that can be applied to your everyday life.
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