Sabbath: The Ancient Practices Book

I confess: I love Dan Allender. His unique voice, which combines biblical, mystical, and practical elements is a gift to me and the church. In Sabbath, Allender suggests that we enter into the profound gift that God has given us in Sabbath rest.

Allender suggests that the four pillars of Sabbath are sensual glory, holy time, communal feast, play day. He says that "The Sabbath is an invitation to enter delight. "It is the best day of the week."
We are driven by fear, pride, and distraction. Trying to escape from these, our rest tends to involve us retreating from the busyness and anxiety of the world into entertainment and distraction, Sabbath offers a radical alternative to this cotton candy substitute. "The Sabbath is far more than a diversion; it is meant to be an encounter with God's delight." Allender explains, "Menuha is the Hebrew word for rest, but it is better translated as joyous repose, tranquility, or delight."

Allender urges us to experience the gift of the world God has given us in neon colors on the Sabbath. He says, "What intrigues, amazes, tickles your fancy, delights your senses, and casts you into an entirely new and unlimited world is the raw material of Sabbath." He tells us that this leads to worship. "Awe must propel us to gratitude." He explains that, "Abundance is not about possession; it is utterly, completely, and solely about gratitude."

"Sabbath has been called a 'sanctuary in time," Allender says. We try to break time, to steal time, but "[t]ime is to be submitted to, honored, and enjoyed." Allender explains that, "Sabbath is not a break from work; it is a redefinition of how we work, why we work, and how we create freedom through our work." Allender explains that, "We are not to work on the Sabbath because it takes us out of the play of joy. It is as bizarre as making love to your spouse, but getting out of bed during the process to cut your lawn or wash dishes. Such an offense would do far more than spoil the mood; it would be a direct assault on the integrity of joy, announcing that a mundane chore is more pleasurable than sexual joy with your spouse."

In Sabbath, we experience God's delight. God invites us to play with himself, to delight in him. "The Sabbath is intended to be the most sensual day of the week." We have lost our ability to experience delight as God intends. Consumerism merely adds fuel to the fire of despair. In fact, "The only parameter that is to guide our Sabbath is delight. Will this be merely a break or a joy? Will this lead my heart to wonder or routine? Will I be more grateful or just happy that I got something done?"

Sabbath is an invitation to taste and see that the Lord is good. Allender says that our tastes can be transformed. "We must develop a taste for abundance on the Sabbath, or we will not be prepared for the glory that is ahead." He continues, "The Sabbath is like every other gift'it requires practice and discipline to grow in delight."

Allender reminds us that Sabbath witnesses to the freedom God us for. "All human beings are created to enjoy the freedom of the Sabbath." He continues, "We are to free the slaves because we were once slaves. Sabbath is a remembrance of the stale bondage of Egypt and the fresh air of our new garden given to us because of the faithfulness of God's covenantal love, not due to our capacity to make God happy. Yet God is more than happy with us ' he adores us and lavishes us with freedom and joy."

I love this promise, "Jesus, the fullness of God and man, is the full perfection of humanity, and he calls us to a humanity that is full and alive, without flaw or fault."

What a grace to have a wise guide like Allender invite us into the gift of Sabbath. I continue to learn and grow in my journey into the rhythms of Christ, Allender certainly helped me further along the path. I hope he can help you, too.

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