Sabbath Mission - Day 38

Jesus shows us what it looks like to live Sabbath Mission. Through his example, we learn that sabbath is not just a day; rather, a behavior, a perspective, and a rhythm of life. The four gospels provide us with a vision of Christ’s mission for the world. As Jesus lived out his own sabbath rhythms, bumping up against the order of Jewish law, he showed us what sabbath keeping can do for the world. He showed us where human lawfulness ends and God’s call for all creation begins. In the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus specifically handing this call over to his disciples in two places, just before he is handed over to be imprisoned and ultimately crucified; “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:17-18); and, when he meets his disciples again, in resurrection, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The call to live out this Sabbath Mission echoes beyond our understanding of time and space.

When we choose sabbath for our lives, we are making a point to live intentionally, not reactionary. We live lives of gratitude, care, worship, peace, and rest. We face those things we need to let go of and confess. Those things we idolize, or embitter us, and distract us from Sabbath Mission. We live watchful lives, paying attention to those moments where God's kingdom breaks in.

Sabbath is not only a gift; it is also the practice of sanctifying time. When we live in sanctified time, we live in holy time. In holy time, we are reoriented to the bearer of all time, and are sent out to live our lives pulsing in rhythm, in time, with God. Living to the beat of this rhythm of God is how we live God’s mission in the world. When we lose track of God’s time, we lose track of our mission in the world.

The church is mission. In a renewed commitment to sabbath practices and sabbath rhythms the Church is reborn with a deeper understanding of the Sabbath for daily life. In these moments of rebirth, the church can fully embody Christ in the world.

How has your personal commitment to the Sabbath Experiment reoriented your life? In what ways do you feel you have been reborn? 

When considering the Church in the world, what are some of the ways we, as a body, might benefit by a re-commitment to Sabbath Mission? What are some practical things we can do as a body to live out our Sabbath Mission better than we do now?