Sabbath

Currently Listening To: Death in His Grave, John MacMillan

If You Want to Laugh: watch this. (Especially if you like sloths.)

Agape, my Christian fellowship, has been doing some really cool things recently. Firstly, as of just last semester, we don't have staff and are entirely student-led -- but it has been crazy encouraging to see our group thrive nonetheless, to be reminded that it was never a surprise to God that this would be our situation, and to see Him come through so amazingly.

This past week, our large group ended with something different. Everyone had received an envelope on their way in, and in each envelope was a challenge -- something that would not be easy, but that is Biblical. During large group, we took ten minutes to pray individually about whether or not to even open the envelope, because in doing so we were committed to do whatever that challenge was.

My challenge is to take a Sabbath every week for the rest of the semester.

The neat thing is, this is something my housemates and I had already talked about wanting to start doing. So when I read the challenge, I was like, alright. I guess this is something that really is important, that I really need to do.

So here we are. The thing is, I don't really know how to take a Sabbath. I know it's a day of rest, and I know that Isaiah says this about it:

 “Keep the Sabbath day holy.
      Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
   but enjoy the Sabbath
      and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day.
   Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
      and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
  Then the LORD will be your delight.
      I will give you great honor
   and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
      I, the LORD, have spoken!”

[Isaiah 58:13-14]

 ...but what does that look like practically, on a given Sunday? I'd love your input or opinions, if you have any. Have any of you committed to taking a regular Sabbath before? What did it look like?

[image via Typographic Verses]