Rest as Resistance

Transcript

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[0:00] So you may remember a couple weeks ago, I asked for prayer about a talk I was giving at Stanford on Sabbath. I'm not just like rereading the same talk, I promise. But it was convenient that as I was preparing and reading the lectionary scriptures for today, that the scriptures were on Sabbath. So I thought, oh, it's a gift from God. I don't have to work so hard.

[0:21] But yes, I think also as I continue to live in this area, feel the weight of heartbreaking news around the world, and anticipate the upcoming election, I wonder how a spiritual discipline like Sabbath can actually be really good for us in this season.

[0:39] When people ask me, how are you doing? The response I always give is, I'm tired. And maybe you can relate. As a mom, right? Full-time mom with children who are under four. Full-time minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. And part-time seminary student. I need rest. And you may know that rest is not just given to you. Rest doesn't just fall into your lap. It's not a luxury that just happens to you because you've earned it. To really rest, it actually takes work. It takes intentionality and prioritization. And I think a lack of rest, or a lack of prioritizing rest, is actually a reflection of the broken reality, the reality that we live in because of the fall.

[1:23] The feeling or need to always be productive, to prove our worth through our accomplishments, to wear tiredness or busyness like a badge of honor, those are not the ideals presented at the Garden of Eden. So what is the ideal? And how do we live out faithful rest alongside faithful work?

[1:43] And I know we could have a whole sermon series on rest. Stanford just did that. But I want to specifically focus on the idea of rest. On the practice of Sabbath. How Sabbath can be good news for our relationships. For our relationship with God, with each other, with the creation around us, and within ourselves.

[2:01] And I want to end us on how we can practically do it. How can we actually do it? Not just talk about it, but actually how can we do it? So let me pray for us, and then I'll start us with the concept of Sabbath. God, thank you so much for our time here together. And I pray that you help us to learn from you. Holy Spirit, give us little nudges. And inklings of how you want us to respond faithfully to you. As we listen to your word. Pray all these things in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

[2:30] So Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat. Which we'll put up. I just took Hebrew, so this is my one application from that class. It literally means to stop, rest, cease. To put an end to. To remove, put away. And this is the verbal form. It's used 71 times as a verb and 111 times as a noun in the Bible. And we see Sabbath introduced in Genesis, actually. During the creation narrative.

[2:57] So if we can look at the scripture. That God takes six days. We know God takes six days to create lights, water, plants, animals, human beings. And then he stops. He ceases from work on the seventh day. It says in Genesis, Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. On the sixth day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work he had done in creation.

[3:30] God stopped working. And sometimes we take this for granted, especially if we've been Christians for a while. God has infinite power, ability, energy. He did not need to rest. But he did. He chose to. Modeling for his creation and his new world, the importance and priority of rest. And this is markedly different from the other creation narratives of that time. Like Enuma Elish, the Babylonian narrative. It was chaotic and full of power and power struggles and competition. So actually this narrative, it shows something different about God and the world that he's creating. How does God resting in the same creation he calls very good, actually, how does that actually establish a unique foundation for the world? What does that communicate about God and what he values?

[4:23] Sabbath reminds us that life is not about producing more. My identity is not about producing more. Our lives are created for the purpose of loving and worshiping and honoring God. And so what I love about Sabbath is that it brings me back to my true identity. As God intended, right? The true identity. That day where all my titles and my roles, those don't matter as much as how I am beloved. I'm simply beloved on the Sabbath. Because that is how God sees me. That is how God sees you.

[4:54] And this is because Sabbath frees us from our outside pressures. It combats the narratives from society and our upbringings that reinforce our need to justify ourselves. Sabbath is the one day in the week that we can simply live out the truth that our worth comes from being loved by God, not from what we do. And if you think about it, Adam and Eve, they were created on the sixth day. So their first full day on earth was the seventh, the Sabbath. And then they worked on the next day, right? But they didn't begin work until they had rested in God's presence. We actually do the opposite. We think we have to earn our rest so we work first so that we can rest.

[5:34] Sabbath instead teaches grace in deep experiential ways. Nothing we do can earn God's love. We are always in danger of thinking that what we do can trigger God's love for us. But it is in the ceasing, in the stopping, that we can sit and rest in the truth that we are loved apart from what we do.

[5:55] Because our lives don't originate with us, right? God created us and he surrounds us and fills us with his love. Not because we deserve it, but because of who God is. The creation theme comes from the Bible. The creation theme continues in the first version of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus.

[6:13] Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You shall not do any work, you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it. So the emphasis on when God established the Sabbath indicates that the Sabbath was created for everyone and everything. It wasn't just for the Jewish people. I don't know if you noticed, like animals, land, slaves, free, Gentiles even, all were invited into this rest. Sabbath is good for all of creation. And all are equal in their need for restoration.

[7:03] Now the emphasis changes in the second version of the Ten Commandments found in Deuteronomy. So my dad read that earlier. I'm just going to emphasize this one part. Remember you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. It was Exodus from Egypt in which the Hebrews left slavery behind that formed the people of Israel. It formed them in this new identity. So it's also rooted in creation because they became the people of God, right? A chosen people.

[7:38] Sabbath is a unique marker of this group. And it's born out of a deliverance of freedom from slavery. And it ties their identity to dependence on God. Now even though we are free people, sometimes we can act like those in bondage. Many of us can remain bound to our phones or technology, maybe chores or activities, our work, our stress or obligations. And that is why keeping a Sabbath is meant to be an exercise in freedom.

[8:08] When we Sabbath, we remember our freedom and the God who freed us and continues to free us today. I acknowledge it is a privilege to not have to work every day of our week. In our background, for some of us, and even in our families, we cannot afford to take that kind of rest.

[8:27] However, there are other things to rest from when practicing Sabbath. And actually that's why I really love this book. It's called Sabbath Keeping. I think I gave it out a couple of years ago. By Lynn Babb. She talks about how you can rest from other things than just wage earning work. Like anxiety or worry or multitasking.

[8:47] And so I think that makes it more accessible for everyone. That you don't have to do the same thing on your Sabbath, but you can still rest from something. What would it look like for us, for our families, for our communities, if we took 24 hours to stop worrying? If we took 24 hours to stop being anxious? If we took 24 hours to be present to one person, one thing at a time?

[9:13] When we practice Sabbath of any kind, we are creating space for others to also enter into and experience that rest. So the results of Sabbath go beyond our individual selves. When I stop sending emails over the weekend, I stop creating more work for whoever has to respond to them. When I do not eat out or spend money, I'm creating less work or need for someone else to have to operate a restaurant, or manage a store for that time. When I'm not multitasking or trying to be productive at every moment, I can be present with my children and my family. I guess Michael. And I don't have to think about what's next.

[9:49] What we do affects the community. If we do not rest, others cannot rest. And they have less opportunity to connect with God, their community, creation, and themselves. And so that's why Sabbath is actually a form of justice. We already talked about how Sabbath is freedom. That means freedom for everyone, not just ourselves. And I think that this justice piece about Sabbath is why Sabbath is different from self-care.

[10:15] One should be motivated to Sabbath because of a desire for transformation. A desire to be the person God designed me to be. Because through Sabbath, God transforms our hearts. When we Sabbath, when we intentionally turn our hearts towards God, God turns our hearts around. Actually back towards who he loves and what he loves. So listening to God, being receptive to his gifts, noticing the beauty of creation, it always calls forth compassion and empathy in us. We can expect when we turn our faces towards God, it will actually result in greater sensitivity to the places and people in our world that God cares about. That God knows need help.

[10:57] There is so much heartbreak in the world. I know you know that. Just this week, I was lamenting over the attacks at Rafah. War, genocide, death, sickness, division, racism, scandals, so much more. They're all the broken things of this world. And as I was chatting with Wendy this week, she said very profound things over text messages that I will now read.

[11:20] So Wendy said, actually, I'm becoming convinced broken rest is a sign of other brokenness. And something like war completely destroys people's lives. And that is a sign just how bad and broken it is. Broken rest and lament go together. Can we ever really rest until our brothers and sisters can also rest?

[11:43] The Sabbath reminds us that we belong to a worldwide family of God. We are citizens of another kingdom. A kingdom not ruled by the clock or the tyranny of the urgent. We belong to a kingdom that sees and values people because God deems them worthy.

[12:03] Now all these passages I read before are from the Old Testament, right? But it's important to study what does the New Testament say about Sabbath? How does Jesus actually relate to Sabbath? And how is that relevant to us today? But I want to give you some background. The three or four centuries before Jesus, the Sabbath became one of the defining characteristics of Judaism, right? Jewish texts dating from around Jesus' time prohibited third and fourth centuries of Jewish life.

[12:35] And for one, for through this way looked very different than what God intended. And Jesus clashed with religious leaders six times about the Sabbath. When my dad read earlier in Mark, right, we saw the disciples were doing a forbidden act by eating or plucking ears of corn. Jesus responded to the Pharisees with the example of David and his army eating consecrated or forbidden bread when they were hungry. Jesus says that feasting, not hunger, was commanded for the Sabbath. Jesus was pointing out the contradiction between the intention of the law and the ways that the Jewish people were practicing it at that time. Now the remaining clashes, the two through six, involve healings. I'm not going to go through every one, but I will summarize it by saying this. In all of these cases, Jesus did not need to heal these people on the Sabbath. None of them were in life-threatening situations. None of them had urgent medical conditions. But by healing them on the Sabbath, Jesus was teaching, that the Sabbath day is a day of liberation. A day when people return to the joy of wholeness and the world as God intended. So Jesus does not dispute the Sabbath or the significance of the Sabbath. He doesn't abolish it as outdated law. Rather, like the Ten Commandments, he returns

[14:14] people back to the heart, the intention of the law, and the lawgiver himself. Sabbath was meant for doing good, for showing mercy, for saving lives, and freeing people from bondage. It shows God's nature as a merciful God. And so, as we read in Mark, we see that the Sabbath day is a day of redemption. Jesus does not diminish the importance of the Sabbath. He highlights it as a gift of mercy and redemption. After the resurrection, Jewish Christians continued to observe the Sabbath, and they also met on Sundays to celebrate the resurrection. In Paul's ministry, in the Sunday gatherings with Christians, they took on a new name called the Lord's Day. They replaced the word Sabbath and the day they met on with the Lord's Day. And as the Gospel spread to the Gentiles, serious questions arose about what Old Testament laws do Christians need to keep? In Acts 15, the Jerusalem Council concluded that Gentile Christians did not need to follow the Jewish law, primarily circumcision, which I'm sure that was a relief. So what did that mean for the Sabbath? In Hebrews 4, the author argues that Sabbath rest is fulfilled in Christ. And I believe that's true. Like, the ultimate rest is fulfilled in Christ. However, I still think that we can benefit from a

[15:28] practice of Sabbath. Even the first Christian emperor, Constantine, instituted Sunday as a day of rest in AD 231. And then from then on, the early church had this emphasis on Sunday rest, so that they could freely attend worship. And I understand, I think, Christians sometimes downplay Sabbath because early theologians were afraid of being connected to Judaism. They wanted to distinguish themselves, especially in the early days, from Judaism. And they also condemned observing the Sabbath law as a strict way to only earn God's favor. And I think we know that. We know that God's law, right, when we practice our faith, it's not about just straight obedience. There is this growing, this interaction, this relationship. And there may be something good about still believing in that growing and living in relationship with God through Sabbath. There's something good and valuable about setting aside a day of rest, as modeled in Genesis, as Jesus fought to bring people back to the heart of God. And one of those good things, I believe, is actually remembering our limitations. Because we're human beings, humans have limits. Sometimes we acknowledge that, sometimes we don't. But it's actually good to recognize and live into our humanity. We cannot be everywhere and everything

[16:45] for everybody. We are not God. And I want you to hear the freedom in that, that Sabbath reminds us reminds us of our freedom to be human. I have this quote from one of the books I love. It says, The Sabbath is to honor the body's need for rest, the spirit's need for replenishment, and the soul's need to delight itself in God for God's own sake. It begins with a willingness to acknowledge the limits of humanness and take steps to live more graciously within the order of things. God is the only one who is infinite. We are finite, which means I live within physical limits of time and space and bodily limits of strength and energy. There are limits to my capacities, relationally, and emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I am not God. God is the one who can be all things to all people. God is the one who can be two places at once. God is the one who never sleeps. I am not.

[17:41] I don't want you to hear me wrong. I value work. I value the importance and calling of work. However, when we try to live beyond our capacities, when we try to not rest, along with our pattern of work, we become instead machines of productivity rather than children of God. We actually lose our humanity.

[18:01] So, part of reclaiming the discipline of Sabbath is restoring our humanity and the relationships that God designed us for. So, with God, Sabbath connects us to God. God rested, and as we worship and dwell with him in his presence, we connect with God. Our relationship with creation, Sabbath stops us from being mindless consumers, secluded from God's creation. We find joy and gratitude as we reconnect with God. We reinvent ourselves, reinvent ourselves, reinvent ourselves, around us. With others, Sabbath forces us to slow down and be present to the people around us, giving them dignity and the attention they deserve. Within ourselves, Sabbath helps us to listen to ourselves. Now it is one thing to know these foundational truths and another to actually practice them practically. Many of you have been practicing faith for a long time and many of you have even lived within the pressures of the city before it became what it is today. I think there are some unique challenges that we face when keeping a Sabbath that is because of the culture we live in. And I think there are some challenges that happen just because we're human. And let me address just the biggest pushback I hear when it comes to Sabbath. I always hear, I don't have time to Sabbath. It

[19:17] sounds great but I don't have time. For my students, they think you know we can finally rest when we we reach x milestone, when we graduate, when we go on vacation, when we finally retire. But the truth is there will always be pressing and important things in your life. And making space for Sabbath is not dependent on how great or little responsibility you have. Rather the decision falls on what you choose to prioritize. So whether you're an employee, a manager, a retiree, a student, a caretaker, etc. It is possible for you to rest and practice Sabbath. And some argue that by Sabbathing you become more productive. I've experienced that somewhat. And while that may be true, the blessings from Sabbath go beyond than just being more productive. And we need to dethrone the American belief that more time equals more productivity. I actually have this quote from the book and it's just a nameless dad but he says something profound. He says, we say I don't have enough time to get it all done. But life is not about getting it all done. Life is not about filling every moment. If you consider for one moment Life is about gift, embracing and receiving God's gifts. God may want us to be inefficient sometimes in order for us to receive his gifts more fully.

[20:34] I'm not gonna lie, Sabbath is costly. It is costly when you sacrifice, when you stop, when you cease. However, it is worth it and it can change your whole life. Okay, before we go into our practical workshopping, I'm gonna share about some of the ways I've practiced Sabbath in my life. I first learned about it in college when I was a college student. I was young and I was single. I didn't have kids. So my Sabbath incorporated more solitude and silence. And as an introvert, I needed that space. I needed to be renewed socially. I needed to actually reflect on what was going on and I couldn't do that with all the noise in my normal life.

[21:10] I remember in those early days trying to watch YouTube or TV shows or movies, but I would end up YouTube spiraling or binge watching things until very early on. I would watch YouTube for like 30 hours in the morning. And I don't think that left me truly rested.

[21:26] I think just to note, like sometimes technology draws us into a place where we can no longer experience thankfulness or listen to God. Then when Michael and I got married and we moved to the Silicon Valley with Ted and John and later Rashad, my other housemate, our Sabbath involved more communal activities. So we'd cook together, watch something together, play games, laugh and talk. It felt restorative in a different way. And I did miss my introvert times, but it felt restorative to be together. And that's the time when I started experimenting with turning off my phone for 24 hours. Because I realized I felt anxious whenever I saw that red dot, the unread notification on my phone. And I worried about how am I going to be available all the time to people? But in turning off my phone, it gave me freedom. And those who knew me knew I would get back to them in 24 hours and the world didn't explode.

[22:19] After having kids, I was able to get out of my comfort zone. I didn't have to worry about my kids. My Sabbath was thrown out the window, especially in the early days, right? You know, when you're feeding and waking up every three hours.

[22:28] But today, it is starting to get incorporated back into our family routine. And it is super fun to share with Benji and Daniel. We start by lighting a candle, and they love that because fire is great. And Benji knows we call it the Lord's Day. So I heard him, I think it was a couple of weeks ago, because I heard Michael getting Benji up.

[22:50] And Benji asked, what is today, Papa? And before Michael could answer, he said, it's the Lord's Day. He was just so excited. To Benji, the Lord's Day means eating chocolate croissants and going to church, which he loves being here at church.

[23:06] For me, what my Sabbath looks like today is I stop intervarsity work and seminary homework on Saturday, 5 PM. And then when the boys finally go to bed, which could be 8 o'clock, could be 9 o'clock, Michael and I have a family meeting or a date night. We connect with each other. And then I like to watch my brother's livestream of Disneyland when I can. I go to sleep. And actually, Sunday morning is the only day I get to sleep in, which is lovely. I sleep past 5 45.

[23:33] We go to church. We spend time with you here in our community. Sometimes Felix comes over for lunch, and that's really fun. And then I take a nap, play with Benji, spend time in the garden. And I end Sabbath by talking to my extended family on Zoom.

[23:47] I want to incorporate more personal reflection and reading time. But I will say that at least for these 24 hours, it's really helpful to have a no work, no homework space. And on the technology piece, I learned that on your phone, you actually can set up a Do Not Disturb, like a custom Do Not Disturb feature. So for 5 PM Saturday to 5 PM Sunday, I have this special Do Not Disturb. And I can change the background of my screen so I know when I pick up my phone, it's a special day. I also, you can limit the apps. I can limit the number of apps that show up on your phone so that you don't get distracted as much. And you can limit who's messages can come through. So I just let my family's messages or calls come through. So even your phone is designed to help you practice Sabbath.

[24:34] Right now, we're actually going to do some workshopping. So I'll give us some instructions while Felix and Michael pass out some papers if you don't have it already. So I want us to practically think about how we would do this. You're going to brainstorm, or brain dump, on your phone. You're going to think about what you're going to exclude. So I'll just go through these categories. You're going to think about first what to exclude. On there, there are things like multitasking. So multitasking for me, when I exclude it, it means giving each person my focus and attention and presence. So when I play with my kids, that's what I'm doing. I'm not trying to also organize their toys, clean up their messes, do laundry and cook at the same time. I'm trying to do just one thing at a time on the Sabbath. Maybe for others of you, worry or anxiety are what you need to exclude. So a question you can ask is, what will you do when worries do come into your body and mind?

[25:25] Maybe you could pray. Maybe you can call someone to pray. Sometimes I like to write down all the things I'm worried about and then pray about it and leave it there. How will you stop the cycles of worries that consume you? For some of you, it says on here to exclude competition. But maybe competition actually gives you joy. So use your discernment. What actually gives you joy? What to exclude and not to exclude. OK. So for inclusion, there are activities on the second page that you can help think through, like give you ideas of what to include.

[25:57] In this book, it talks about how good Sabbath keeping includes both praying and playing. So prayerful Sabbaths without play or playful Sabbaths without prayer are only half Sabbaths. Prayer without play can degenerate into a dutiful and cheerless religion. Play without prayer can become mind-numbing escape. So think about things that help you pray and play.

[26:19] The third thing is preparation. You can't just fall into Sabbath. You need to prepare. So make sure you spend time in preparation. And then time. So I know it's hard. Sometimes we think maybe we can start by setting aside one hour. If we just do one hour a week, maybe we can start with Sabbath that way. But the author actually says that's not a helpful way to start because you need a couple hours to relax. It takes us a couple hours to just detox and stuff. And not be doing something. So instead of doing one hour to start, she suggests setting aside 24 hours. And then if you want to start small, is starting small in what you exclude or include, like worry, anxiety, if you can't stop working. So starting small in what you include and exclude, not on time. And lastly is accountability. How can we actually ask for help and keep accountable with somebody about this? So I'm going to give you seven minutes.

[27:19] I'm going to give you a couple minutes. I'm going to give you a couple minutes to work on that. Fill it out. And then when you are done filling it out, maybe gather with groups of people next to you. And you can talk about what did you put down on your paper? Are you stuck somewhere? Do you need help thinking about it? Yes. I'll give us that time.

[27:35] And then I'll come back and close this. Thank you. Thank you for taking time for us for one moment. And for one moment for one moment for one moment for one moment for one moment for one moment for moment for one moment for one moment for one moment Thank you.

[41:43] Sorry. I'll Sorry. Sorry. I'll Sorry. I'll Sorry. I'll Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. I'll just pray for us and then we're gonna continue in worship and giving. God, thank you so much for this opportunity and we pray that you help us respond to you faithfully with the loaves and fishes that we have, with whatever we're bringing to you, with whatever time and availability we have. So help us to follow you. We pray all these things in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.