Busy. Frantic. Frenzied. Non-stop connectivity. Without margin.
And so it goes for so many in normal, 21st century American life. Those who are following Jesus and those who are not surprisingly look and sound the same. We work hard, play hard, and do our best to squeeze all of life out of every hour, every day, and every week. And the end result of our break-neck pace is exhaustion. So many people are physically tired and soul weary.
Ironically, Christians passionately seek to uphold nine of the ten commandments. And while there is definitely not perfection around those nine, most if not all would agree that we should at least seek to obey them. Prohibitions around idolatry, theft, murder, adultery, and the like have lasted the test of time. And yet, one commandment, the one about the sabbath is left behind. While we at Reality Church are definitely not advocating for a return to legalistic rigidity, we are stopping to wonder if we have missed a precious gift that God has built into His world- a divine rhythm of work and rest.
On Saturday, June 2nd, we enjoyed a day of dialogue, teaching and practical discussion around the idea of sabbath. We were joined by A.J. Swaboda, who is a pastor, author and professor from the Portland area who has recently written a book titled Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World.
Our hope and prayer is to continue to press into a life-giving, Jesus-focused practice of sabbath that will result in a culture of rest for our lives and church family.