Sabbath
the way of rest in a world of hurry
WORSHIP: an example of eternity (Sabbath E4)
March 5, 2023 • Trey Van Camp • Genesis 2:1–3, Isaiah 58
For the modern mind, the Sabbath is typically associated with a day off work to attend church, get things done around the house, and binge on the latest TV show. While this may offer the https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1994/april-4/good-for-nothing-sabbath.html, it is far from a holy day set apart for the Lord. The Bible presents a different view of the Sabbath, which involves focusing our minds, hearts, and bodies on the adoration of God. It includes thinking of God throughout the day, turning our attention from worldly things to God, and loving and serving others. Without worship, the Sabbath can become a day of self-centeredness rather than a day to honor God. Rather than simply resting, worship transforms the Sabbath from a day off work to a day centered on God’s character and nature.
DELIGHT: Dayenu at Dinner (Sabbath E3)
February 26, 2023 • Trey Van Camp • Genesis 1:31, Genesis 2:1–3, Mark 2:23–28, Mark 3:1–6
A key element of Sabbath is the practice of delight. When we take the time to stop and to rest, we find ourselves more aware of the goodness and beauty in the world around us. This recognition and enjoyment of creation is called delight, and it’s something that God himself does. Scripture is full of God delighting in his creation, including us. God delights when we delight. But most of us are too unaccustomed to delight. Simply put, we don’t know how to play. We know how to indulge, how to escape, and how to numb, but few of us have cultivated the Godly qualities of playfulness and joy in our lives. God institutes Sabbath not as a day of restriction and rigidity, but as a day of delight so we become people defined by our joy. When we use Sabbath to practice delighting in God, in others, in creation, and in ourselves, we allow the Spirit to form us into people of delight.
REST: resistance to Egypt [Sabbath E2]
February 19, 2023 • Trey Van Camp • Exodus 20:1–17, Deuteronomy 5:12–15
The idea of rest seems simple enough. We all want rest, but never seem to get it. Always just outside of our reach, rest seems either something to laugh at, or something to buy. But one of the most radical things Jesus teaches us is that he is able to offer us true rest without requiring us to work more, do more, or have more. When we practice Sabbath, we stop all our work and worry so that we’re able to become people of true rest. Like Israel, we remember that we’ve been saved from the oppressive yolk of productivity, and instead we’ve taken on Jesus’ yolk of ease. We reject that lie that our worth and value come from what we do, and that rest is a commodity we have to earn. In this way, rest is a countercultural rebellion against the powers and systems at war against God and his kingdom. To practice Sabbath is to accept the invitation to rest while living in a world of hurry.
STOP: the cadence of creation [ Sabbath E1]
Trey Van Camp • Genesis 2:1–3, Exodus 16:21–30
In our culture of restlessness, busyness, and hurry, setting aside an entire day to stop all work and productivity sounds anything but restful. Yet deep inside all of us is a yearning for true rest, which is why God offers rest as a gift in the form of the weekly Sabbath. In https://biblia.com/bible/csb/gen%202 God himself takes a day to rest from his work, weaving a rhythm of rest into the fabric of creation. When we live by this rhythm, working during the week and resting for a full day, we’re slowly transformed into people of true rest who are able to genuinely love others. But living outside of this rhythm wreaks havoc on our souls and relationships with others. To realign ourselves with this ancient rhythm, the first step is simply to stop. For 24 hours we commit to ceasing our work and turning our trust from our own hands to God’s provision.