BECOMING: Sabbath

Hello church (and anyone else reading)!

This week we continued our 10-week study of spiritual practices that we are calling BECOMING. (If you were absent, click here to watch the sermon back--you won’t want to miss it!) 

Who we are becoming should be intentional, not accidental. In this series, we are exploring nine ancient practices that position us to be formed by Christ and so become like Him. This week, Pastor Makenzie shared with us on the practice of Sabbath, an intentional period of time set aside to spend with Jesus, not focused on work or tasks but rather resting in His presence. 

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a] you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

Resource 1: Curious about this practice or wondering whether Christians need to keep the Sabbath? Read through this article on the Sabbath published by our friends over at the Bible Project. 

Resource 2: For a deeper dive, this podcast mini-series from Practicing the Way includes Scripture and real-life examples on the importance of Sabbath in the life of the believer.

Finally, here are some questions that you can use in your personal study to reflect on, whether in journaling, prayer, or conversation. 

Take account of your week. How much of your time is spent in things that are distracting rather than enriching your life? Where could you remove something to make space for the practice of Sabbath? How does the idea of Sabbath feel to you--exciting, scary, impossible? What would it take to make Sabbath a regular practice in your life?

Know that you are deeply loved and called to share that love with others. We hope to see you next week as we continue to learn and grow alongside you! 

Grace and Peace, 

Community Cup staff