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 English Standard Version (ESV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: Friday was called “preparation day” in the house where I grew up. All the grocery shopping would be done, the house would be cleaned, the casseroles would be prepared and would just need to be put in the oven to cook on Sabbath. It required a great deal of work to be prepared, but we always were.
I can remember being in the checkout line of our local Alpha Beta grocery store, and all the Adventists would look at one another and then look down the line. Particularly if it was getting close to sundown.
But let me tell you what was really happening. We were getting everything ready so that we could go to my grandmother’s house and enjoy her wonderful German cooking with our whole family. Mimi’s house was where we would all gather on a Friday evening—cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, and friends. It was always the highlight of my week.
The kids would help take the dishes to the kitchen, clear the table, and then we would make all sorts of games out of the napkin holders, whatever coins we had in our pockets, or anything else we could make up in our heads to be a game. It was awesome. The fun would often last from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. or later, simply because we never wanted to leave. It was a sanctuary in time. I came from a family that was always busy on Sabbath—teaching, singing, leading, preaching—so Friday evening was our time to connect.
As we got older, we began to take on other commitments—more people would show up like boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands and wives, but the time was always sacred for us. Family connecting, with little else to do. Laughter, desserts, and always opportunities to share what was happening in our lives, no matter how little or big, how young or old.
That is what Sabbath meant to me.
I hope Sabbath can mean that much to you. Just make sure you are willing to give it away!
Recalibrate: What are your best memories of Sabbath? How can you find some way to recreate those in your life today?
Respond: Pray, “Lord, we pray that everyone reading this will find a way to imbue your life, love, and ministry into the Sabbaths that we keep. Amen.”
Research: No books or articles. Go out and connect with family, friends, colleagues, God or nature. Just go and be on this day-before-Sabbath day!
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.
When you sit down to eat with your little one, do you bless the food before you eat? This is a prayer I say: “Dear Jesus, thank you for this food. May it bless our bodies and bless that hands that made it.” Sabbath is a meal that blesses us for the whole day. A day where we thank God for what He has prepared for us. This Sabbath with your little one, relax in knowing God has set the table and prepared the meal for you.
Have you ever been running somewhere so fast you didn’t see what was around you? Sabbath is God’s way of saying, “Slow down, we are already here. There is no need to keep running today. Rest in knowing I have won the race for you.” The Words to Remember for this week are, “So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11). Today, take a walk around where you live and thank God for the world He has given us and the special time to enjoy it.
I have shared a lot this week about some of my experiences and memories. What about you? What are your favorite things to do with your family and friends? If you had the choice what would you create as a family tradition that you could look back on and wish to recreate again? God knew what He was doing when He created Sabbath. He knew we would be in need of it—especially in our day and age when life is so busy! I am now an adult looking back at what life was like as a 10- or 12- year-old and I long for some of those experiences. But I now have the opportunity to create more memories with my own family—like Friday night dinners or Sabbath lunches. I now appreciate more and more the need for Sabbath, especially for a busy bee like myself.
Write down your favorite Sabbath activities. Share them with your family. Now write your list of wishes for Sabbath. Share them with your family. Enjoy Sabbathing!
I’m not sure when you’re reading this, but I’m going to assume it’s a Friday and maybe sundown is coming up in a few hours. If there’s anything I want you to take away from the text this week, it’s the opportunity we all have. We could make the Sabbath all about ourselves, worrying if we keep it correctly. Or, we have the chance to focus on how we can better serve others. Instead of keeping the Sabbath, why not give? Because isn’t the Sabbath about giving our time and our headspace to remember Him? Could it be that the more we spend our time dwelling in God’s goodness, the more we may want to serve others? This is a transformative process. This is precisely what makes us different. A new type of person. A new humanity.
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.