Rhythms of Hope in Sabbath

As we enter into the rest of Sabbath based on God’s completed work, we remember that God has made himself known to us through His redemptive love, and promises that all things will be made right, whole, and holy.  We enter into Sabbath not because God completed His work and then left, we enter into Sabbath because God’s work is for the purpose of us being with Him, whole and holy! 

Hope is an integral part of our daily lives, reminding us where we’re going, and helping us see the consistent in-breaking of God’s Kingdom all around us today. As we continue our journey of Sabbath together, here are invitations that call us into hope. Because the 24-hour cycle of Sabbath can either be a typical calendar day, or a 24-hour cycle starting at dinner and ending next dinner, the rhythms are divided into three times and not a particular order.

Morning Rhythm:  Hope in the Midst of Exile

Even as we enter a post-Easter life, free to enter into relationship with Christ and experience wholeness as the body of Christ, we realize that there remains brokenness all around us. Our hope this Sabbath is not an idealistic gaze that ignores the devastation of sin, but a hope found in the midst of a broken world because we know that God has conquered it, and calls us to conquer. In Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah sends a letter to the Israelites in exile in Babylon, encouraging those in Babylon to “build houses and settle down; plant gardens…marry…increase in number…seek the peace and prosperity of the city,” (Jer. 29:1-7). Even in exile, living here as citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20), God’s kingdom, God’s blessing, and God’s nearness are apparent and visible.

This Sabbath, enter into a time of reflection through the examen. As is our habit, allow God to search and know you, to be fully open before God, and to allow God to lead you in the “way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).  In letting God examine you fully, consider:

  • What times, rhythms, and places you felt closest to God during the previous week?

  • What areas of your life and community do you feel hopeless in?

  • How can you imagine God’s Kingdom in-breaking into you and your communities life this upcoming week?

Afternoon Rhythm:  Hope through Rest

For the afternoon of Sabbath, here are some helpful questions from our previous Sabbath guides to help you decide how to rest in God’s completed work and to use your time.

  • Who am I with?  The Sabbath is a “sacred assembly” to be together, to worship together, and to be done as a community. We need community in Sabbath to both resist the temptations to avoid Sabbath, as well as to live into the Sabbath fully.

  • What are the things I delight in doing, that I don’t often get to do?  The Sabbath is a great time to experience and engage these things.

  • What things lead me away from rest with God, others, and myself, and how do I avoid those things? There are many things that actively seek to pull us away from God that easily become routines during the work week, what are those? And how can you resist them this Sabbath?

Dinner Rhythm:  Hope in The Fullness of God’s Kingdom

The coming day of the Lord is often referred to in the Bible as a “messianic banquet.” This banquet is described in glowing terms in the Old Testament and New as having the choicest foods, the best drinks, and total satisfaction for God’s people (Psalm 63, Joel 2, Isaiah 25).  It is a place of worship, wholeness, joy, and happiness.

This Sabbath, have a conversation over dinner, read together Revelation 19:1-10, which reminds us that “blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Rev. 19:9). Read the passage, consider, and converse over the following questions:

  • What do you imagine the wedding supper of the Lamb like?

  • How is the joy and wholeness of the Messianic banquet seen in your life?

  • How can God’s guarantee of wholeness and completion guide your Sabbath and work?