Sabbath: Week 21 of Ordinary Time
Look:Work Clothes Quilt, Mary Lee Bendolph - Source
Listen: Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting, Shelly Moore Band - Lyrics | Spotify | YouTube
Read: Isaiah 53:4-12; Psalm 91; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:35-45
Readings for the rest of the week*: Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Leviticus 25:1-24; Psalm 92; Isaiah 58:13-14; Mark 2:23-3:6; Hebrews 4:1-11
Pray: Book of Common Prayer, Collect for the Twenty-First Week After Pentecost
Set us free, loving Father, from the bondage of our sins, and in your goodness and mercy give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Do: For the final seven weeks of Ordinary Time, we’ll consider God’s gifts of work and rest - both spiritual acts of worship.
Bobby Gross introduces this week’s chapter: “To keep the sabbath is to both obey a command and receive a gift. God provided for a weekly day of rest - a special day, a holy day - so that we would have space to focus our attention on him (gratitude, worship, reflection) and be renewed as whole persons (body, mind, heart, and soul). Sabbath-keeping puts us in touch with the Story of God. We remember God’s work of creation and how he rested and took delight in its goodness. We remember God’s work of redemption, how he set his people free from bondage and despair. We remember God’s work of resurrection, how he exercises the power to remake all things and give us eternal life. God gave us the sabbath as a weekly blessing, a foretaste of the eternal rest to come.”
Find a pleasant location to prayerfully consider your sabbath practices. Begin the time by noticing your surroundings, what’s above you, behind you and beneath? Pay attention to your senses. What do you hear, smell, see, feel, and taste? Give thanks for the goodness around you. From this place of restful gratitude, ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight to the following questions: Are you satisfied with the way you guard a day each week for rest and renewal? Do you need to make any adjustments in light of hearing God’s voice this week?
Related: Last week we completed the third retreat in the Rhythms of Grace series for Ordinary Time. Thank you to all who joined us! As I’ve prayed about ways to continue encouraging us to live into the unforced rhythms of grace Jesus invites, I’ve created a FREE 31-Day email guide for you and your families, friends, colleagues to enjoy. Sign up today the begin receiving the guide on October 21.
What: Free 31-Day Rhythms & Rules of Life Guide
When: October 21 - November 20, 2021
Who: Anyone who longs to worship God, love people, and enjoy beauty in Jesus’ unforced rhythms of grace.
Where & How: Sign up to receive the guide at this page on my website. You’ll receive 1 email each day for 31 days as well as be able to access the content in a password-protected page on my website.
