Working Definitions

We all begin somewhere. I've acquired quite a few working definitions of sabbath over the past few weeks. A working definition is the definition we work or live from, perhaps not exactly as written in a dictionary, but based on our personal understanding and purpose. I've collected these definitions to gain an understanding of our starting point. I'm not only concerned with the definitions, but the ways we describe these definitions for ourselves. 

If you haven't participated in the survey, or recently taken the time to write our your own definition of sabbath, I encourage you to do so now.... 

What is sabbath? 
Do you think of it as a gift, an add-on to the rest of your week, or something else? 
I would like to share these anonymous definitions with you. What do you notice? What are the commonalities you find? Which definitions come close to yours? Which definitions get you thinking about it in a new way?

1. The intentional rest that honors God. Living the belief that you cannot achieve your own completion or salvation by your own merits. It is a difficult gift to protect. Sometimes the protection is from my own justifications of disregarding it. Sometimes the protection is from others' expectations of when and how it should look - or that it shouldn't happen at all. It's also a difficult thing to manage. On my sabbath days I'd like to sit in silence more. I'd like to commune with nature more, or work with my hands (I have a desk job), or read for pleasure, or be creative. But often I end up watching TV or running errands or paying my bills. This is not honoring sabbath even if it's pretty lazy work. 
2. Sunday...? nothing really 
3. Time spent in the oneness of or with God. It is not running errands, caring for children, writing sermons. Sacred space and time for the divine. 
4. Day of rest and, to me, a state of mind that I want to live in on a daily basis, trying to keep all of God's creation and creatures in a Sabbath reverence and faith. Truly a gift. It will add more focus to my life and help me gain more insight and ideas on how to live a Sabbath Life. 
5. Sabbath, by general definition, is a day of the week set apart by God for rest. To me it is more than that. It is the moments spent with God, whether through communion with others, "God moments" with total strangers, times when I am in awe of God's creation and goodness that I observe in humanity, and in the silence. It is the awareness an connection with the Divine at any given moment of any day or night. 
6. Sabbath to me is a gift and a necessity. Growing up, I didn't see it that way. I saw the Sabbath as Sunday morning at church that I had to go to because my parents made me. I didn't appreciate the gift at the time. It wasn't until many years later that I realized what it meant to me. My personal definition of the Sabbath at the top of the page pretty much explains why it is a necessity to me. It is as precious to me as breathing. 
7. Holy day of rest and worship. We begin with Sabbath as the time for rest and worship and other things come after, but not instead of. 
8. The day of rest. Privilege. 
9. A holy day in which God rested after creating the world. We celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday. A gift. A day/time to worship and be refocused for the week on what is truly important. 
10. It is a time away. A time for rest. something I long for but not as essential as I theoretically believe it is. 
11. A day for rest, reflection, rejuvenation, and prayer. It is a blessing and a gift that we should embrace fully. 
12. A (day) of rest, spiritual renewal, and remembering whose I am. It is a discipline. I have taken a full day each week for 20 years, including throughout seminary (one semester, I did 3/4 day per week!). At first, I thought it would make me busier, but instead it seems to create time. 
13. Sabbath is that day of rest in a week specifically tuned to worship and refreshment of body and spirit. For me, that includes deliberate disengagement from work, time in prayer and bible study, nature, and any activity I do not "normally" engage in the other 6 days of the week. I think of it as a gift that takes us out of our own self-sufficient mindset and lets us enjoy the world God created without worrying about what we need to get done. It's an integral and very guarded part of my week. 
14. Sabbath is time out, a break from the routine, but not necessarily rest. Unfortunately, I think of Sabbath as the time I get for myself when the jobs are done. 
15. is Sunday......unless you are of Jewish faith, then it's Saturday. add on.......which it shouldn't be........... 
16. A day of worship and family time!! A gift. 
17. It is a holy day, a day to devote to the Lord. It is definitely not an add-on. Every week I am grateful for the opportunity to refocus. 
18. Sabbath is a time for rest and reflection. It is a time for renewal and communion with God. Sabbath is a gift - a necessary gift. 
19. Rest and choices. No "have to". Time for relationships. Time to be. It is essential. It is part of God's creation. We need it. 
20. A time to stop everyday activities and withdrawal to reflect and refocus. I think of it as an escape from the week- time doesn't matter you don't need to keep track. 
21. Sabbath is a day of worship dedicated and defined by Jewish law. It is usally held on a Saturday. However, in modern times, the work Sabbath has been modified to mean a day of worship (any day) and is usually held on a Sunday to start the week. Yes, It is prayer time and worship during my day. I guess it is not an "add-on" but part of and included. I just wish I did it all the time. 
22. Sabbath is taking time out of your busy life to just be. Time to reflect on life and your faith. Time to take a break from the busyness of life and focus on what is most important. It is a time to rest. a gift 
23. Sabbath, more commonly referred to as "The Sabbath," is the 7th day of God's Creation. Because He rested on the 7th day, we honor Him by doing likewise. Furthermore, He commanded His people, the Israelites to keep that day holy in specific ways. We who are New Testament Christians are not under the heavy obligation dictated in the Torah. We place our worship day on the 1st day of the week, Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection. One might say that this is our Sabbath Day. I choose to recognize the Sabbath because, for me, it is God's reminder for me to worship and adore Him, and to recognize that He gave His only son for the cleansing of my sin. He is my sustainer, my redeemer, the Creator of all things. 
24. Sunday, the day in which you give to God. We would attend church separately. As an Italian, our family always got together on Sunday as well as a thanks to God for family. However, there wasn't any Bible classes, only our prayer before dinner, nevertheless, apparent that this is God's day and that's why we were gathered. Sadly, in the last 5 years, schedules and times have changed. Today, no Sunday dinners, although I tried and we were doing for a year or so and we attend church here and there, including the kids, whom I NO LONGER MAKE attend. 
25. I used to feel it was a gift. To see my family and all of us laughing and enjoying life, even if for only that one day was a true gift from God, a true blessing. Now, it honestly becomes a chore and has no love or excitement for me at all. Don't get me wrong, I love God, but I can pray ON MY OWN and feel just as close to him, but when the family is together, well, it's a true gift.
26. My initial response is that Sabbath is a day of rest and my family uses it as a day to observe the Lord with our church. I know the bible says that it was not created for God but for man. It seems like now more than ever I need and should observe this more strongly in my household. I think of it as a gift I'm sometimes unaware of or ungrateful for. I definitely want to observe it more because it truly is a gift from God for us to rest; and to rest in Him. 
27. Holy Rest. In other words any day, time, or activity that is intentionally set apart for the Spirit of God to "work" restoration. Sabbath is more of a ritual in my week than anything else. It is something myself, my family, and community works on intentionally. 
28. Sabbath can be so many things. Day of rest, Holy day, Community, worship, reflection, love, family, fun, spiritual reflection, prayer, relaxation, God. I feel the sabbath is the day to relax and reflect. It is definitely a gift in a crazy world full of constant motion. Needed silence and peace. 
29. God-centered, regrounding, restoration, and adoration of our Lord. Gift; intention; Grace 
30. A time to rest and get re-charged. I think it ends up being an add-on (outside of attending weekly worship) -- it becomes just one more thing to try to fit into a busy lifestyle. That's why for me, seasonal weekly worship events for Advent and Lent are important to continue. 
31. Sabbath is a time "set apart" for God. It comes from the 7th day of the week after creation when God "rested." Later, God told the people of Israel through the law: Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. I would summarize that "Sabbath" is a holy time set apart for worship, hearing, and communing with God. It’s a focus and discipline of setting aside time for God.