Sabbath: Week of August 8

What?
One day this week, rest from your normal activities and engage in a refreshing or restorative activity.

Why?
Our constant doing and connecting trains us to believe that the world needs us to function. The weekly practice of Sabbath, however, teaches us that God sustains the world and that we don’t. To make a countercultural embrace of our limitations, we stop our usual work for one day of rest. Sabbath is a gospel practice because it reminds us that the world doesn’t hang on what we can accomplish, but rather on what God has accomplished for us.

(The Common Rule, adapted)

How?
Think about what your average day consists of — checking emails, making phone calls, cleaning the house, running errands, etc. For one twenty-four-hour period, refrain from these activities. Consciously step away from the noise and bustle of daily life.

Resting does not necessarily entail refraining from all activity. (Remember that Jesus healed on the Sabbath!) Plan to do something refreshing. That will look different for every person and family and might include arranging an extended period in the Word or in prayer, spending time with friends, grabbing a good book, or heading to the park.

Some Christian leaders have recognized that, since we have a body and a mind, our Sabbath rest ought to refresh that part of us that lies stagnant throughout the week. That is, if you tend to work with your hands, something restful or restorative will engage the mind, and if your work involves a lot of brain power, consider a more physical activity.