Episode 053 – The Sabbath Pt 5: Clean The Glassesi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-231{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-231:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-231.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Exodus 20:1-3; Amos 8:4-5Despite God’s pleas and instructions for His people to observe the Sabbath, they struggled to do so. Sure, they “observed” the Sabbath, but they did so in a way that completely missed the point. They were distracted by the things of life and were completely unaware of how blurry their vision had become. Subsequently, their destructive habits went unchecked. The same happens to us as well when we fail to take a break. It’s in the break where we gain perspective. But in order to see what we need to see, we need to be really intentional about what we do. And that’s what this teaching helps us to unpack.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

Are there any “commodities” in your life that are negatively affecting your relationship with God?

Has there been a time when you could see your other relationships being affected by not observing the Sabbath the way God intended?

What are some possible “smudges” on your glasses that having a Sabbath could help you recognize?

Would you be willing to give up your phone for an entire day to observe a Sabbath? If not, what is keeping you from doing so? Are there any false desires at play?

How can you begin walking out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

Soul Rest by Curtis Zackery

The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan 

The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel 

Sabbath as Resistance by Walter Brueggemann 

Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva J. Dawn