Introduction:

Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in our busy lives

Many of us are exhausted, overwhelmed, and burnt-out. We’re anxious about our own lives, and we’re anxious about the state of the world. There is a simple, accessible spiritual practice we can embrace to find rest and restoration: the gift (and commandment!) of Sabbath. Not only does rest help our physical and mental health, but a Sabbath discipline also reminds us that we’re not God and the world will not stop if we do. 

For Jews and Christians, the importance of the Sabbath begins in Exodus 2); 8-11 – Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy….Observing the Sabbath in son of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20.

The concept of “sabbath” is found in some form in all the world’s faith traditions.

“Sabbath time can be a revolutionary challenge to the violence of overwork, mindless accumulation, and the endless multiplication of desires, responsibilities, and accomplishments. Sabbath is a way of being in time where we remember who we are, remember what we know, and taste the gifts of spirit and eternity,” writes ordained minister, therapist, and author Wayne Muller.

He challenges us to take a Sabbath day of rest, to set aside a Sabbath afternoon for silence, and to create Sabbath moments in our hectic weekday schedules. He is calling for a time of stillness and repose, a time for rejoicing in the goodness and holiness of life, and a time to surrender to the mystery of not-knowing. At the end of chapters on rest, rhythm, time, happiness, wisdom, and consecration, Muller includes dozens of Sabbath exercises and ideas that we will discuss along with the concepts of Mullers writing.

We will begin this book club discussion in mid-February. You can get a copy of the book from your local library, favorite bookseller or be included in our purchase. Order will go in on January 24 and the cost will be $5