Dr. Roger Ross – August 7, 2011
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Rev. Michael Paulson – July 31, 2011
Why 7-Up Refreshment? (If you haven’t already, you may want to listen to the message from July 31 at springfieldfirst.org; these notes will make much more sense.) Being preoccupied with achievement and the gratification & status it brings is a key contributor to identity theft. It leads us to confuse ‘what I do’ with ‘who I am.’ The practice of intentionally taking one day off each week (Sabbath rest) helps prevent that by reminding us that God makes our world and lives work. It helps take ‘me’ out of the center of my life and put God there instead. Having God at the center helps us when storms come.
Tips on Getting Started (many from my own experience):
-Pick the same day each week to take off for the 6 weeks once you begin. You won’t get a sense of what Sabbath can do (or changes you might need to make) if you don’t have several weeks to consider.
-Taking the same day each week is important—from the 6 days on, one day off pattern, there is a rhythm that arises that brings its own benefits. Changing your day off frequently takes away a good deal of power and blessing.
-If you have a family that has shift work and observing a day of the week is difficult, try to find the same 24-hour period each week that could work instead. In Jesus’ day, they started at sunset one night through sunset the next night.
-Arrange errands, chores, and homework to fall on days other than your Sabbath. It might make those days busier, but after a few weeks, you will see benefits. You will begin to notice what things in your life steal time or take up too much time. (Example: channel surfing; spending lots of time in the car running errands over several days rather than all at once, etc.)
-Prepare meals for your day off the night before. Maybe plan frozen meals, dine out for a meal, or easy things like cereal and sandwiches. This cuts down on prep and clean-up work on Sabbath.
-Consider using paper plates and utensils. If this isn’t possible (and particularly if one person stays at home and keeps up the house full-time), have someone different handle the dishes.
-If you get together with friends or family, don’t obsess over hosting an ‘event.’ Most people enjoy having a very casual get-together.
-Spend some time in the day looking back over the week and your work. What was fulfilling? What was tough?
-Take the opportunity to read something in the Bible. Take a moment to pray as a family or as friends to thank God for the good things that happened in the week, and for help with the tough things.
-Try not to schedule activities (i.e. lessons or practices) for kids during this time. It often breaks the flow of relaxing and being refreshed.
-Don’t be surprised if you seem more tired than usual on your Sabbath day. Once your body gets used to the weekly rhythm, it ‘knows’ that it’s due for that day when it can catch up on rest. Listen to those signals—actually rest! You’ll be refreshed for the week to come.
Recommendations for Further Learning:
Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald. Highly recommend. If our inner life is in order, our outward life will probably be in order, too. Great exploration of the practice of Sabbath rest is part of this book.
Soul Shaper by Tony Jones: this book explores several spiritual practices from the Christian faith. There is a great chapter on Sabbath rest and renewal in this book as well.
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