In the month of July, Fellowship is fully embracing “summer-mode” by exploring God’s design for the Sabbath, spending four weeks exploring Sabbath Trust, Sabbath Rest, Sabbath Renewal, and Sabbath Celebration through our worship series. We invite you to use this resource page as a guide in practicing the sabbath throughout this month and integrate the practice of sabbath into your everyday life. As you do so, please use the button below to share a brief reflection on your sabbath experience or something you read in our sabbath summer read (see below).
Let’s discover together the depth of God’s goodness to us by living and savoring the Sabbath!
Fellowship Summer Read
Travis West, our friend at Western Theological Seminary, has just published his new book, The Sabbath Way. We will engage this book as our Fellowship summer read and invite you to join us! Pick up your copy near the Welcome Center or at the church office for a suggested donation of $10, A bookmark is included with the reading plan and reflection prompts (see photo).
Sabbath Spotify Playlist
Sabbath Video Resource
Sabbath:
The Bible Project
The Bible opens with God creating an ordered world from chaos in six days before resting on the seventh day. This pattern of seven that ends with divine-human rest echoes throughout Scripture. Jesus embraces this theme in his mission to establish God’s Kingdom on Earth, where humanity and God will finally rest together. Click here for reflection questions.
Sabbath Podcast Resources
Bible Project Podcast Series
Seventh-Day Rest: Sabbath
What is the Sabbath? It's more than an antiquated law. It’s about the design of time and the human quest for rest. The Sabbath and seventh-day rest is one of the key themes that starts on page one of the Bible and weaves beautifully all the way through the biblical story. Click here to view the full podcast series and begin the first episode!
Practicing The Way
Sabbath Podcast Series
Sabbath Sermon Resources
Sabbath Rhythms | Life Beneath the Surface
New Life Fellowship Church NYC | Rich Villodas
“Part 5 of our #lifebeneaththesurface series is all about exploring our interior lives through the ancient practice of sabbath-keeping. The Life Beneath The Surface series focuses on our emotional health through the lens of Jesus’s life and teachings.”
8-part Sabbath Sermon Series
Bridgetown Church | John Mark Comer
One of the most important practices of Jesus was finding rest and making time for Sabbath. The human condition is prone to restlessness and our digital age and consumeristic culture only exacerbates the problem. We must model the restfulness of Jesus, which is more than just a day, but is a spirit we live by all week long.
Click here to listen to this sermon series.
Sabbath Book Resources
The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel
In this brief yet profound meditation on the meaning of the Seventh Day, Heschel introduced the idea of an "architecture of holiness" that appears not in space but in time Judaism, he argues, is a religion of time: it finds meaning not in space and the material things that fill it but in time and the eternity that imbues it, so that "the Sabbaths are our great cathedrals."
Click here to view on Amazon.
Awe by Dacher Keltner
In Awe, Dacher Keltner presents a sweeping investigation and deeply personal inquiry into this elusive feeling. Revealing new research alongside an examination of awe across history, culture, and within his own life, Keltner shows us how cultivating awe in our everyday lives leads us to appreciate what is most humane in our human nature. At turns radical and profound, brimming with enlightening and practical insights, Awe is our field guide for how to place this emotion as a vital force within our lives. Check out this 30 minute video of Dasher Keltner sharing why awe is such an important emotion.
In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen
For a society that measures successful leadership in terms of the effectiveness of the individual, Father Nouwen offers a counter definition that is witnessed by a "communal and mutual experience." For Nouwen, leadership cannot function apart from the community. His wisdom is grounded in the foundation that we are a people "called." This beautiful guide to Christian Leadership is the rich fruit of Henri Nouwen's own journey as one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the 20th century.
Click here to view on Amazon.
Every Moment Holy | Vol 1
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
Every Moment Holy includes new liturgies for the ordinary events of daily life.
These prayers are ways of reminding us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose even when, especially when, we are too busy or too caught up in our busyness to notice. The liturgies in the Every Moment Holy series will encourage you to practice mindfulness of the constant presence of God, drawing you toward greater recognition of the eternal echoes resounding in every moment of our lives.
Click here to view on Amazon.
The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook
by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
In Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Adele Calhoun gives direction for your journey toward deeper intimacy with Christ. While the word discipline might at first seem daunting, Calhoun shows how your desires and discipline can work together to bring the transformation you’re longing for―the transformation only Christ can provide.
From introspective practices like silence and solitude to others-focused activities like hospitality and mentoring, you'll learn about all kinds of spiritual disciplines. Beyond only giving you information about the spiritual disciplines, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook offers practical, accessible guidance to help you put them into practice.
Click here to view on Amazon.