Sabbath: Movement and Rest
SOCIAL SOLIDARITY: Justice Within Ourselves and Collective Liberation Series
Why is having a rhythm of Sabbath so important that the entire bible from Genesis to Revelation is filled with invitations to observe the Sabbath? What is the Sabbath? How is this ancient Hebrew tradition relevant for us today?
The origin of the Sabbath traces back to creation. Our Creator hovered over a place of darkness and chaos. For 6 days he created, stopping occasionally to take in the beauty that unfolded before him and exclaim many times “It was good.” On day 7, God stopped creating and observed with a satisfied heart declared “It was very good.” God marked this day as a holy day and has invited us to join this 7th-day rhythm of rest and enjoy creation blessings. If we practice this rest and observe God’s creative blessings we will experience a paradigm shift and declare “it is very good.” What is very good? God himself expressed through creation.
Rhythm of Liberation Within Ourselves
GETTING INTO A RHYTHM OF INNER REST
”It is very good.” There is beauty in God to behold. A beauty that is able renew and realign our true desires with God’s creative blessing. This is where our souls will find true rest despite our earthly realities. True rests allows us to work from this state of being. Yet, how can this be when we are dazed, broken, discouraged and exhausted from a hostile world which we have no control over?
A group of us was asked, “when was the last time you really rested?” We all found this question a bit difficult to reflect on. What would your answer be? One said going on vacation but admitted she did not experience real rest. Another struggled to recall a time of rest. Interestingly, a common experience of real rest was doing nothing. There was no agenda, minds were not preoccupied, there was no schedule nor a list of things to do. They were being taken care of by others. Some got to enjoy quality time with people. Others spent time breathing in the beauty of nature. Some enjoyed moments just being present with God. This doing nothing is like a portal back to that place of rest with God in the Garden of Eden. The Sabbath leads us into a new experience of doing nothing.
In our unstable unsafe world, we’ve become enslaved to work, anxiety, competition, status, image, and the need for control (the list goes on). Are you weary and tired? Are you burdened with a load of unending care? Are you carrying wounds in need of attention? Is there something you want to be set free from?
There is a place for us to find true rest. True rest cannot be taught only experienced. Meditate on Matthew 11:28-30. What does it tell you about the rest Jesus is offering us? In what ways can you move into a rhythm of creation and rest with Jesus? Try to schedule a regular time of surrendering to doing nothing. Take some slow deep breaths and just do nothing for 5 minutes. Try using this peaceful piano video 5 minutes a day by Dappy Keys, or scatter intervals of 5 minutes throughout the day with the video. This may seem odd, but don’t worry, we are learning this practice together.
Rhythm of Collective Liberation
Sabbath is Collective Liberation
God rested on the 7th day at the Garden of Eden with Adam, Eve, and the animals. The Sabbath is not just about us individually. It is also about collective liberation. The Sabbath rest is meant to be a communal lifestyle. Our rest involves letting others rest. We do not overload people with work, nor do we oppress people with burdens or marginalize them. When the Egyptians enslaved and burdened the the Israelites, God liberated the entire nation by leading them out of Egypt. Jesus became a human to bring everyone of us out of enslavement.
True rest means true freedom individually and corporately. In Acts 4:34 we see a community where no one was in need. This is truly a rare reality to have today. Yet, this is the image of God’s creation blessing, a land where no one is poor (De. 15:4). On the contrary, we are witnessing today an intensified growth in poverty and hunger. The unjust war in Ukraine greatly contributed to the recent spike. Yet, we can make a difference. We can start a movement by giving opportunities to others to rest. Practicing the rhythm of collective liberation rest can ignite a ripple effect toward global transformation. This is at the heart of God’s urging to keep the Sabbath.
Getting Into a Rhythm of Collective Rest -August Sabbath
Grace Alive Fellowship is practicing this collective rhythm of rest by setting apart August to be an annual Sabbath for the entire family. In August, there will be no official gatherings. We do encourage informal, fun, relaxing meetups. In addition, the GAF family is also off every 5th week of the month. We launched our 2022 Sabbath with our annual 1-day retreat of rest at Governor’s Island on July 31st.
AUGUST EVENTS
SEPTEMBER EVENTS
Celebration Service
GAF will be launching its first in-person Celebration Service on Sunday, September 11 at 21 Pell street 3rd floor. Starting September our monthly celebration services will no longer be on Fridays, but every first Sunday of the month.
JOG (Journey of Grace - JOG) Small Group
2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays • 11AM - 12:30PM | ZOOM Link | Meeting ID: 327 601 274 | Password: 429125
Join us for a time of community soul care. Here you will find a safe space to reflect, listen for God’s voice, and journal. We are here to help each other explore and live a life of faith day to day. Leadership is shared by those who desire to lead so that we can get a rich variety of ways to share and grow.
Friendship Friday (Every 3rd Friday of the month - formerly Communion Friday)
Jesus calls us friends. We practice this gift of friendship by coming to the communion table where all are welcome. We want to grow a deeper friendship with God and bring the world closer together through prayer. Bring your dinner, and communion elements and join in through zoom.
3rd Fridays - Sept. 16th• 7PM - 8:30 PM | ZOOM Link | Meeting ID: 327 601 274 | Password: 895281
Bible Reading (Every Saturday Evening 8:30PM - 9:30PM)
The Bible tells the story of the relationship between God and people. It gives us wisdom and insight into who we are, human origin, and guidance on how to put order back to a world in chaos. We listen together to God’s word allowing it to pour over us, and uncover ways to live in ways of love and justice.
We are currently reading the gospel of Luke | ZOOM Link | Meeting ID: 327 601 274 | Password: 895281
Offering / Donations!
We currently allocate 90% of tithes towards our staff stipend and 10% towards an organization supporting our community during this time.
Your donation is tax-deductible. For administrative purposes, please fill out this Google Form each time you donate to GAF.
Donate via ACH/Wire: Use Account #: 875101564230; ABA #: 031101169; Alternative ABA #: 031101279 (ACH payments only).
Donate via Check: Make checks payable to Grace Alive Fellowship. Mail your donation to Manni Lee, 275 South Street, Apt 19D, New York, NY 10002.
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