The Sabbath was Made for You
Mark 2:23-28
July 8/9, 2023
Tim Doherty, Adult Ministry Pastor

You don't EARN life, and you don't EARN rest -
these are GIVEN to you.
So take the gift.

For reflection at home:

Do you keep a regular rhythm of a Sabbath in your life? As disciples and followers of Jesus we know that Jesus calls us to just BE with Him sometimes--to rest, to let God be God, and to receive well-being from Him. But we just get so ... busy.

A couple of years ago our staff at Beulah was asked several questions to help them evaluate whether or not DOING was out of balance with BEING. We offer those questions here for you to reflect on, and to even slowly journal and pray through.

Consider answering Yes or No to each of these questions about your rhythms:(Concept borrowed from A Deeply Formed Life, by Rich Villodas)

1. You avoid silence, and when you are quiet, your mind constantly races
2. You skip or skim on Sabbath
3. You hurry a lot
4. You position yourself so that others think well of you
5. You say "yes" when you would rather say "no"
6. You are resentful and tired because you regularly "try to do it all"
7. You rarely taste your food as a gift of God
8. You have little mindfulness of delighting in Christ's love during the day
9. You are often unaware when your body is full of tension
10. You have little or no awareness when you are having an overreaction
11. You check email and/or social media more than 15x a day and before you go to bed

Pause for a moment and pray. Maybe ask Jesus a couple of questions:
· Is there an aspect of my life that you want to bring to greater health through regular Sabbath keeping?
· What do you have to say to me about keeping a Sabbath?