In my early twenties, I cooked at several restaurants on St. Simons Island, GA. I would sometimes work double shifts in order to make ends meet. On one occasion, I worked three weeks of double shifts without a day off. Resilient though I thought myself to be at that age, I almost put myself in the hospital.
Most will admit, there is something built into the fabric of our being to remind us of our need for rest. We are image-bearers of God, called to emulate the pattern He established for us at creation: to live within a rhythm of work and rest. He set aside the Sabbath day for our bodies to be refreshed and renewed. The rest our bodies require reminds us that we need spiritual rest as well. And so the Sabbath is a time to remember our limits.
The Sabbath teaches us that we need God and the rest He freely provides in Jesus. It almost seems as though Jesus reserved many of His healing miracles for the Sabbath. And by healing physical maladies on the holy day of rest, He was showing that He had the power to heal the deeper malady of a sinful soul.
Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). He is the one who rested in the grave on the old covenant Sabbath—after He labored for our redemption, providing ultimate rest through His atoning death and resurrection. He ushered in a new creation, saying, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29). And to those who attempted to pervert the meaning of the Sabbath day with legalistic rules and regulations, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
Coming expectantly into the first day of the week, I often wake my sons up and ask them, “What day is it today?” One of them inevitably shouts from under his covers, “The best day of the week!” Our family worships at church and sets the whole day aside to rest. Together, we read Scripture, devotionals, or other spiritually edifying books, and allow time and space in our home for Christian fellowship. We may even take a much-needed nap.
These are a few of the ways our family has learned to keep the Sabbath, setting aside a day to focus on worship, the Word, prayers, and fellowship. Whatever practices you can build into the rhythms of work and rest in your life, for the physical and spiritual refreshment of your body and soul, make them staples of your devotion to God on a weekly basis. He knows the benefit and blessing of rest, and that is why He asks us to keep the Sabbath.
Written by Nick Batzig
So good!
It’s interesting that all the verses point to the seventh day being given as the day of rest even mentioning that it had not been changed and yet here we are resting on the first day of week. I think a deeper look is ahead for me.
Soo good
When thinking about keeping the sabbath I instantly get anxiety thinking of the rules of it or what I am or am not suppose to do, what counts as work? And then this lesson highlighted the freedom of rest and how Jesus himself said “enough with these legalistic rules” for rest. Rest looks different for us all. What is rest for some may not be relaxing or renewing at all for another! Jesus again points to freedom for me.
I never really looked at the Sabbath as a day to dive deeper into Christ. That is where true rest is found, only in Jesus. It’s not about being lazy, leaning into the spiritual rest of Jesus.
Thank you Amy!
I love this!
Trying to make Sunday a Sabbath day is new for us. Typically we would go to church and then it would be a regular day of chores, projects and errands. Recently I’ve been trying to switch it up to “Sundays are not for shoulds” which seems to be resonating with my husband and teens. So for example, if anyone of is saying “I should do xyz right now” I ask, but does that bring you joy? Does it help you rest? If it’s a project that is fun, inspiring, restoring then go for it. If it drags your soul down then save it for another day.