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MCCH �Biblical Rest Retreat�Session 6

Dick N.H. Andrews

April 6, 2024

Priory Spirituality Center

Lacey, Washington

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Biblical Rest Retreats: Session 6

Sacred Rhythms for Spiritual Transformation

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Rhythms Defined:

“Rhythms are a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.”

Examples: Circadian-daily cycles of mental & physical peaks & troughs. Tides, Seasons, Day & Night, Lunar.

Spiritual rhythms are your regular pattern of connecting with God. What-are you doing on a regular basis to nourish your soul & grow in your relationship with God.

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Read aloud Isaiah 58:13-14

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Choose a rhythm of Rest not Illness:�

“ If we do not allow for a Rhythm of Rest in our overly busy lives, illness becomes our Sabbath—our pneumonia, our cancer, our heart attack, our accident create Sabbath for us.

We need our human hands off, and God’s hands on.”

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Prayer and petition can bring God’s Peace :�

“ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

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Human hands off: �God’s hands on!�

“Whatever remains to be done, for now, let it be. It will not get done tonight.”

“In Sabbath time, we take our hands off the plow, and allow God and the earth to care for what is needed. Let it be . . .”

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Listening to our Longings

“Sabbath keeping is a discipline that can produce good habits that will capture your body, soul & spirit” ( Ruth Haley Barton)

“ When your whole self strains, you may have thoughts like: I know I can make it because the Sabbath is coming.”

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Listening to our Longings

“Healthy Sabbath keeping helps thoughts: I can face my life now because I have rested.”

“ The Sabbath can become the centerpiece of your world, the kingpin of your spiritual rhythms.”

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God’s Sabbatical kindness can melt hardness

“Are we courageous enough to live in the beautiful ways God designed for us to live in?”

“Are we ready to insert regular rhythms of life so we can move into deeper trust in God to actually rest?”

“Who would we be, who would I be, if I trusted God for His Sabbath rest for 24 hours once a week?”

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Sabbath: A Sanctuary in Time

* “Sabbath keeping is a way of ordering one’s life around a pattern of working 6 days and then resting on the 7th.”

* “ Sabbath is a way of arranging our life to honor the rhythm of things - work & rest, fruitfulness & dormancy, giving & receiving, being & doing, activism & surrender.”

* “Setting aside a Sabbath day of rest must include working for 6 days to fulfill our respective responsibilities like household chores, shopping, errand-running, vehicle maintenance, financial fitness, bill paying, family care aligned in healthy balances to avoid derailments.

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Honoring the Limits of our Humanness

* “ We are creatures and God is The Creator. God is the only One who is infinite. I am finite which means I live within physical limits of time and space, limits of strength and energy.”

* “There are limits to my capabilities relationally, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I am not God. God is the One who can be all things to all people. God can be in two places at once. God is the One who never sleeps. I am not.”

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Unwillingness to practice Sabbath�

* “Digging deeper, we may see that our unwillingness to practice sabbath is really an unwillingness to live within our limits of our humanity and to honor our finiteness.”

* “We cling to some sense that we are indispensable and that the world cannot go in without us even for a day. Or we feel that certain tasks and activities are more significant than the delights that God is wanting to share with us. This is a grandiosity that we indulge in to our perish.”

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Principles for Celebrating Sabbath�

There is no ‘correct’ answer for which day to celebrate Sabbath.

“ The heart of Sabbath is that we purpose to cease our “work” so that we can rest and delight in God and God’s good gifts.”

“It is important to establish a regular rhythm if possible. The human being, body and soul responds to rhythms and is accustomed to living in rhythms -night and day, regular meals, seasons.”

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Sabbath keeping is not just private�

“Sabbath keeping is not primarily a private, self-indulgent discipline. Sabbath has always been a communal discipline or a discipline that people enter into with those closest to them.”

“When we deliberately choose a sabbath day that does not include our family and other close communal units, we deprive our family . We deprive them of learning how to rest and delight in God. We also deprive them of high quality relational presence with each other, and shared love.

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Shaping Sabbath: 3 Exclusions

(1) WORK - You must honestly identify what constitutes “work” for you. Then commit yourself not to do those work activities.”

(2) BUYING & SELLING: By continuing to buy and sell Sabbath, we contribute to making people work on our sabbath day.”

Reflection Question. Can you give examples of those buyers and sellers who close their business and let employees take a day of rest? (Manna Teriyaki Burien; Jeff M-no construction work on his Sabbath day.

(3) WORRY - “Beyond physical work, there is also the emotional and mental work we must do to survive. Sabbath rest invites us to NOT DO our TO-DO lists, financial juggling, & avoid making major decisions.

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Shaping Sabbath Time: �Obey God’s Word��

“Aligned completely with God’s Holy Word, do whatever delights you and replenishes you.”

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Shaping Sabbath Time: 3 Inclusions

(1) RESTING your BODY: naps, nature walks, sun lounging, etc.

(2) REPLENISHING your human spirit: choose only activities that renew you and bring joy. For word lovers, read for pleasure, and talk with loved ones.

(3) RESTORING your Soul: Keep learning how to worship authentically. Nourish quiet reflection, cultivate Simplicity, Silence, Solitude, Surrender to God Almighty. Write, call, communicate with loved ones.

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