Practice a Little Sabbath

Beloved in Christ,

I'm writing this as I am frantically preparing to be away for a few days with my family over the Labor Day weekend. I am reminded as I do so of something that stuck with me from John Mark Comer’s book “Practicing the Way," that I recommended as a resource to the diocese earlier this summer. Of all the spiritual practices that help us be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do as Jesus did, Comer says we have to start with rest. In the modern western world, sabbath—reserving one full day each week for rest, connecting with those we love best, and spending time with God—is the most neglected of all the commandments in scripture, and of the way of being Jesus modeled and taught. 

This critical practice is one of the most challenging for me, and just about everyone else I know, to keep. We are bombarded every minute of every day with messages that tell us our worth is determined by how much we do. We carry a universe of attention shredding distraction in our pockets, and that universe doesn’t sit passively by, but pings us repeatedly with reminders to give it the attention it is designed to solicit. 

To really know God’s presence in our lives, we have to first be actually present to them ourselves. To really know God’s power in our lives, we have to first rest so we stop trying to power everything on our own. 

As you observe the secular holiday this weekend, I invite you to practice a little sabbath. Turn off your phone, let the projects go, spend some time with Jesus, connect without distraction with those who love you best. If you’re like me, there may be no more challenging thing to do. But as we practice this critical spiritual discipline, we may just also learn there is no more important way of joining God’s revolution of life and love.