Sabbath Rest with God

1

Sabbath Rest with God

2

Take a deep breath. Rest. Sabbath.

The Third Commandment Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. Learning How to Rest by Waterdeep

Pray through these lyrics and let the words wash over you as Christ invites you to come away to a lonely place and rest for a while.

I came around the corner of the outer edge of town You were standing in the center There were people gathered all around

I'd never get through this crowd My heart went kind of numb But You smiled when You saw me and You beckoned me to come So I struggled through the pressing mass I had a thousand things to say But I was sure Your ears were flooded And there was just too much in the way

Chorus: But then You said to me "Come away by yourself to a lonely place for a while Well, I'm sure you're tired You know, I cannot even see your smile There's just too many people here Why don't you come and be with me" Then you took my hand And we headed out for the sea I got home late this morning You've been gone since the other day They took You to the tomb But I guess we all go there someday I came out here to get away

Sabbath Rest with God

3

to get some time to think Cause nothing's making sense right now I feel like I'm on the brink Then on the distant shore I hear some strong voice say "That side is yielding nothing Cast your nets the other way" It was You

Chorus: Then you said to me, "Come away by yourself to a

lonely place for a while Well, I'm sure you're tired

You know, I cannot even see your smile There's just too much confusion here Why don't you come and be with me" I asked You where are we going You simply told me that I'd be free

Bridge: You know things get hard and the world's not stopping for me But I know now what to do, and I know where I need to be cause You said to me...

Time was created by God. We need a time of rest to recover and discover all that God has instore for us. We need time to be equipped and restored to go out into the world and love and serve our neighbors as God guides and directs.

Practice the rhythm of life found in John 15:1-8. Abiding with Christ so that you will Bear Fruit, which leads to a time of Pruning for a time of Growth.

God bless you as you spend Sabbath time with Him in the weeks ahead.

Sabbath Rest with God

4

Sabbath Rest with God

5

Sabbath Rest with God

6

Sabbath Rest with God

7

Sabbath Rest with God

8

Sabbath Rest with God

9

Sabbath Rest with God

10

Sabbath Rest with God

11

Sabbath Rest with God

12

Sabbath Rest with God

13

Sabbath Rest with God

14

Sabbath Rest with God

15

Sabbath Rest with God

16

Journal: _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Copyright Beth Slevcove Permission granted for copies over 100 must be emailed to comments@ymwomen.com

Sabbath Rest with God

17

"Lectio Divina", a Latin term, means "divine reading" and describes a way

of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and

open ourselves to what God wants to say to us.

First stage is lectio (reading) where we read the Word of God, slowly and

reflectively so that it sinks into us. Any passage of Scripture can be used for

this way of prayer but the passage should not be too long.

The second stage is meditatio (reflection) where we think about the text we

have chosen and ruminate upon it so that we take from it what God wants to

give us.

The third stage is oratio (response) where we leave our thinking aside and

simply let our hearts speak to God. This response is inspired by our reflection

on the Word of God.

The final stage of Lectio Divina is contemplatio (rest) where we let go not only

of our own ideas, plans and meditations but also of our holy words and

thoughts. We simply rest in the Word of God. We listen at the deepest level

of our being to God who speaks within us with a still small voice. As we listen,

we are gradually transformed from within. Obviously this transformation will

have a profound effect on the way we actually live and the way we live is the

test of the authenticity of our prayer. We must take what we read in the Word

of God into our daily lives.

These stages of Lectio Divina are not fixed rules of procedure but simply

guidelines as to how the prayer normally develops. Its natural movement is

towards greater simplicity, with less and less talking and more listening.

Gradually the words of Scripture begin to dissolve and the Word is revealed

before the eyes of our heart. How much time should be given to each stage

depends very much on whether it is used individually or in a group.

The Word of God is alive and active and will transform each of us if we open

ourselves to receive what God wants to give us.

Notes taken from http://ocarm.org/en/content/lectio/what-lectio-divina

Sabbath Rest with God

18

A Holy Experience Blog guest post by Michelle Van Loon http://www.aholyexperience.com/2016/08/how-to-celebrate-gods-faithful-presence-throughout-the-moments-days-years/

For 85 percent of each week, modern Jerusalem is a noisy place. One

and a half million camera-wielding pilgrims jostle for space with the city’s eight

hundred thousand permanent residents each year.

Mix fervent prayer, the chatter of mothers walking their children to the

market in strollers, the dialed-to-eleven volume of debate in cafes and at bus

stops, car and taxi horns honking, sirens blaring, and feral cats fighting, and

you have a mad symphony of sound.

But as Friday afternoon marches toward sundown, these sounds fade,

and the city takes on a remarkable stillness. Save for a few cabs and service

vehicles, cars disappear from the streets. Businesses close their doors.

Voices dial down their volume from eleven to four.

A holy hush descends on the city long before the first star appears in the

desert sky over the city. It is Shabbat, the Sabbath. The hush holds the city

in its embrace until about an hour or so after sunset on Saturday. The volume

builds once again in the early evening darkness as Jerusalem returns to its

regularly scheduled program—until the following Friday afternoon.

The first time I experienced Sabbath in Jerusalem, I heard within the

silence a loving reminder: There was a story the infinite God was telling us

about Himself within the finite measures of time that He’s given to each one

of us. It is a story about who He is and who we are called to be.

Sabbath Rest with God

19

In our plugged-in, 24/7/365 world drumming to an insistent, unvarying

beat every single day, we are prone to miss the cadence of eternity. God has

built his own rhythms of restoration and celebration into our days and years.

Let us have ears to hear them.

In our always-connected digital world, many of us have become

accustomed to the idea that we are the architects of our days. We make our

appointments and set our schedules, all the while kvetching that we’re just

too busy. Our overscheduled lives proclaim to the world and ourselves that,

really, we’re super-indispensable people. We allow a subtle pride to warp our

understanding of our role in God’s story: “Look at my crammed datebook! If

others need or want me this much, I must be pretty important.” And if they

don’t, then it’s not a far leap for some of us to believe that maybe our lives

don’t matter much. I’d like to suggest that our watches and Day-Timers and

Google calendars are not the measure of our worth. We who belong to Jesus

understand (at least in our heads) that we are not our own.

Our eternal God has given us this slice of eternity, right here and now,

in which to live for and with Him.

Following a calendar that tells us our lives are not all about us is a

powerful place to learn to inhabit that sacred gift of time. When Paul

acknowledged not all followers of Jesus see specific days as holy, he wasn’t

suggesting that everyone in the church needed to hit the ‘delete’ button on

the discussion (Romans 14:5-10). He was, instead, encouraging them to give

one another lots of grace as they sought how to honor God together in their

Sabbath Rest with God

20

community. He never discounted the value of the weekly/yearly rhythm of

holy days. He simply wanted the Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus to

understand that the finished work of Jesus the Messiah fills full the meaning

of these festival days:

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with

regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is

found in Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)

That reality must shape our ordinary moments and our sacred days. For

those of us who find our spiritual identity determined by our own schedules,

growth in discipleship may well mean choosing instead to be formed by the

rhythms of appointed times with God in our individual lives and in our church

communities. Those holy days are gifts of love from God designed to help us

understand the nature of eternal life. Rabbi Sidney Greenberg offers a

wonderful explanation about the difference between the kind of holidays that

populate our own calendars, and the everyday eternity of a holy day:

“On holidays we run away from duties. On holy days we face up to them.

On holidays we let ourselves go. On holy days we try to bring ourselves

under control.

On holidays we try to empty our minds. On holy days we attempt to

replenish our spirits.

On holidays we reach out for the things we want. On holy days we reach

up for the things we need.

Sabbath Rest with God

21

Holidays bring a change of scene. Holy days bring a change of heart.”

Explore the gift of time and take a look at the stories, structure, history and

relationship of the Jewish and Christian calendars. These holy days are not

additional to-do’s for your busy life. They are instead a way for you to create

intentionality in the way you live the gift of eternal life God has given you

through His Son. Have ears to hear the rhythm of eternity in each moment

and sacred day of our lives.

Michelle Van Loon is the author of several books and a regular contributor

to Christianity Today and patheos.com. In her newest book, Moments &

Days, you will see God’s faithful presence in real time, both in the Scriptures

and in your daily life. Rediscover the gift of time through the Jewish and

Christian holidays, drawing closer to God’s faithful presence. Moments and

Days restores a sacred sense of time throughout our year, enriching our

experience of each “holy day” and enlivening our experience of even the most

“ordinary time.” This one is really beautiful.

Sabbath Rest with God

22

Draw, doodle, and think out loud on this page!

God’s continued blessings to you as your journey of faith continues this side

of heaven with Jesus into eternity!

Sabbath Rest with God

23

Draw, doodle, and think out loud on this page!

God’s continued blessings to you as your journey of faith continues this side

of heaven with Jesus into eternity!

Sabbath Rest with God

24