Sabbath Rest is not just a mandate we try hard to obey. It is a special gift from God – for us to embrace.
New Normal about work, rest and vacation
From “Thank God it’s Friday” to “Friday Blues”
Work is Endless. Rest becomes a bonus.
Vacation is the Reward of hard work.
Vacation is actually “Workation”
We have all been trained to work hard and be productive.
We thought we know how to rest and relax.
How can we make room for rest?
Sabbath is a call to cease, to end and to rest
Exodus 20
Six days you shall do all your work
On the seventh day, you shall not do any work
God is inviting His people to cultivate a rhythm of work and rest
Deuteronomy 5
The Lord reminded them that they were formerly slaves in Egypt
For people who were raised in slavery, rest was a foreign concept
For slaves, hard work is everything and there was no room for rest
Exodus 16
The people were only required to gather manna only for six days
On the sixth day, they will gather double portion of bread
On the seventh day: no manna, and they are called to rest
Rest is a Gift
In God’s redemption plan, rest is not a reward we earn for work well done
Sabbath is the rest we take in the middle of our ongoing work, without apology
Sabbath Rest is not just a mandate we try hard to obey
Sabbath Rest is a special gift from God – for us to embrace
Sabbath reminds us that God will provide – even when the work is not done
Sabbath reminds us that He is in control – seven days a week
Sabbath is a stop sign, creating room for us to receive real rest
Making Room for Real Rest
A Time to Unplug
From FOMO (fear of missing out) to JOMO (joy of missing out)
Starting with no social media for the first 15 minutes of the day
Then try unplugging for 3 hours on Saturday
A Time to Connect
Connect with yourself – by journaling & reflection
Connect with your loved ones – quality time around the table
Connect with God – rediscovering who we are: His beloved child
Be Still – a Prayer of Being (Psalms 46:10)
Be still – and know that I am God.
Be still – and know that I am.
Be still – and know.
Be still.
Be.
