Rest & Sabbath

John 15:1-11 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

Work and rest is not a balance, but a rhythm. When we look at Christ's ministry, we see this rhythm in action. He would often minister to crowds, then He would pull away to go somewhere alone and pray.

Abiding is not passive, but active.

Where to you feel like you are on the rest/work pendulum? All the way on the work side, stressed out, ready for a relief from the non-stop hurry? Or do you feel rested? Or are you somewhere in between - experiencing pruning or pressing into fruitfulness (or both)?

We can have a day off, but that does not necessarily mean that rest will happen. There are things that we do to ‘rest’ that actually don’t result in rest, i.e. social media, binge watching shows/movies, playing games on smartphones, etc. Technology isn’t bad in and of itself, but we need to create a healthy relationship to it. What would it look like and/or feel to not login (or open) social media? We were created to be analog not digital beings. We are created to feel the wind, get dirt under our nails, and live in the real world. So, unplugging from the ‘Matrix’ is an important part of creating a rhythm of rest. It’s getting off the hamster wheel that we often find ourselves on and being still and breathing. It’s something we need to continually be reminded to do.

Beyond the day of the social Sabbath (i.e. the day you celebrate it), the point of Sabbath is not just to take a break from work, but to think about the relationship with God that we were created for. Henri Nouwen once wrote:

Sabbath, like solitude, is a chance to "come in touch with this hopeful presence of God in our lives" - encountering the real presence of God, in the various terrains of life.