Series: The New Humanity
Message: Sabbatarians
Preacher: Jessyka Dooley
Reflection: Tim Gillespie
Live Wonder: Verity Were
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Beyond: Moe Stiles
Live Purpose: Vanessa Rivera
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Exodus 20:8-11 in the New American Standard Bible (NASB). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: What if you decided that the Sabbath was a day for giving rather than keeping? How would that change the way that you experienced the Sabbath?
I don’t know what your experience of the Sabbath was growing up—perhaps it was the best time of the week or maybe it was super restrictive, but all of us who grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist faith have a story to tell. I have always thought that we have leaned toward a very legalistic approach to Sabbath. This is perhaps typified in our publishing of the time of sundown in our church bulletins.
I remember realizing that I would be able to watch TV the moment that the sun went down, as long as I waited until at least one minute after the published time. If it was 6:42 p.m., you could rest assured that I would be sitting in front of the TV by 6:40 p.m., counting down the seconds until I could hit the button on the remote control.
I was “keeping” the Sabbath. I hadn’t technically broken it, but man, did I lose the point. This happened all the time when I was growing up. I don’t know where I learned this but I think I somehow felt that as long as I didn’t “break” the Sabbath, I was OK. It was all external and all technicality. Not sure what my eight-year-old brain was thinking, but this kind of logic followed me through much of my adult life.
However, when I began to realize that the Sabbath was for giving, and not keeping, everything changed. I became less and less concerned about when it was over and more hopeful for when it would begin. I became less worried about whether I would “break” the Sabbath and more excited about how I could give my Sabbath away in service, in worship, in fellowship, or in simply resting with my God. Everything changed. I found that I wanted to do Sabbath on Tuesday with my family, and on Sunday with my friends. I found that Sabbath was spilling over the lines of time and moving into the very principles of how I wanted to live my life.
This was a defining moment for me. I think it was when I finally became a true Sabbatarian. I began to realize that I never held on to the time enough to “break” it anyway. All of this time is God’s and to give it back to Him is the best thing we can do.
Recalibrate: Do you remember ever treating the Sabbath as a rule to keep or break? How did you get beyond that? What can you do to teach others how much better it is to give than to keep the Sabbath?
Respond: Find a way to “Sabbath” each day. Write down what you might do each day to reconnect with the principle of the Sabbath.
Research: Understand that while this is not from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective it is an interesting book about connecting with the Sabbath principle: The Peculiar Life of Sundays by Stephen Miller.
Remember: “So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11, ICB).
Dr. Timothy Gillespie is lead pastor of Crosswalk Church in Redlands, CA. He also teaches at several universities and consults on mission integration for Adventist Health.
Place a selection of veggies and crackers with your little one’s favorite dip on a tray. If your child doesn’t have a favorite dip, maybe today is a good day to try some different ones out. See which they choose to eat. Imagine that the dip is Sabbath and that we can coat our days in a little bit of Sabbath all week by talking to Jesus and reading His word. On the actual day we get to soak in the yumminess of Sabbath all day! (I’m thinking this would also be good for chocolate dip.)
Try playing a game with your family or friends just for fun. Don’t worry about who is going to win or lose or how they are playing the game— just enjoy every minute with each other. It’s harder to do than you think, isn't it? The Sabbath is a time when God says, “Enjoy me, enjoy each other. You are my family and I made you to play in love together.”
I remember my first year at Avondale College which had its own cultural traditions. Avondale is situated in North New South Wales—north of Sydney on the East Coast of Australia. In this part of Australia there are some amazing beaches. College started in early March when it is still quite warm and humid, and, as you would have it, we would do the church thing on Sabbath mornings and then after lunch at the cafeteria (especially if you stayed on campus), there would either be a bus loaded up with students or carpooling to the beach. It truly is glorious there. I remember my first beach trip on a Sabbath afternoon and the discomfort I felt! I was in such a panic, because my whole life, especially those first ten years in Samoa, I had been forbidden to touch the sparkling turquoise water on Sabbath. Now I was in my early 20s and making my way to the beach—and not just that—we were not just going to get our towels and lie there “resting” on the beach. The students raced to see who could dive first into the warm crystal blue water on the Sabbath! Oh, but that wasn’t the only thing! Not only were they frolicking in the water, they took a football out and started kicking it around on the Sabbath! I was so confused at how joyful I felt— and yet I also felt guilty for being so joyful and complained about it. I didn’t know one could experience such joy! I was so caught up in the community of students whom I knew loved Jesus but I could not reconcile their love for Jesus, joy, and the activities deemed unholy with my upbringing. It has taken me half my life to unlearn a few things—but there are some old habits and tradition that I find myself falling back into and it all has to do with how I view God’s reactions to me and what I do on this day, the Sabbath.
But here’s what I learned from that day on the beach my first year of college: I learned how to view Sabbath joyfully. I didn’t know how to do that! I could have stayed on campus and been miserable, judging all my new friends for “breaking the Sabbath” but I chose to go along because something in me yearned for connectedness, which was another thing that happened to me. I made connections—on the Sabbath day—and we also talked about Jesus—on the Sabbath day! What is the most joyful experience you have ever had on Sabbath? What made it joyful?
I had never had to explain the Sabbath to anyone. When I turned 14, I transferred to a public school after having been a student in the Seventh-day Adventist school system since kindergarten. It wasn’t until I went to a public school that I had friendships with kids who weren’t connected to my church. Soon the questions began. I had never explained my beliefs to anyone. I remember trying to find ways to avoid bringing up what I did on Saturdays so that I wouldn’t have to explain myself again. It was uncomfortable and sometimes I would be asked questions to which I didn’t know the answers. “Well, I go to church on Sunday, so why does it matter?”
At that point, I had just followed the Sabbath rule without a true meaning or purpose. As you can read from the text this week, it was never meant to be this way. It’s about resting to reflect on God’s holiness. What are some things you do or believe without having true meaning or knowing why?
Verity Were is a registered nurse at the largest pediatric intensive care unit in Sydney, Australia. She attends Kellyville Adventist church with her husband and two toddlers.
Zan Long is GRC director for faith development for ages 0-17. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and serves at her local church in nearby Kellyville.
Moe Stiles is lead pastor at Oasis Church in Vancouver, WA. She is married to Adrian and is mother to Caleb and Johnny.
Vanessa Rivera is a therapist at a community mental health center in Denver, CO, and serves as the faith engagement pastor at Boulder Church.