Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting

Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting [Marva J. Dawn] on leondumoulin.nl *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. “But I don't wanna .
Table of contents

Faithlife TV A Christian video library. Faithlife Proclaim Church presentation software. Chapters 3 vols. The Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible 43 vols. Proverbs John Phillips Commentary Series 27 vols. Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: During those weeks I had also been studying W. I felt the security of being enfolded, yet the gentleness of a grasp not too tight.

I was not controlled, but set free; understood, yet not so vulnerable that I could be crushed. I was held, and, in the love of that embrace, I wept in relief.


  • Die Kunst der Führung: Verhalten entwickeln, Führungspotenzial erweitern (German Edition);
  • Keeping the Sabbath Wholly Quotes by Marva J. Dawn.
  • See a Problem?.
  • Perry Rhodan 210: Auf den Spuren der CREST (Heftroman): Perry Rhodan-Zyklus Die Meister der Insel (P!
  • Keeping the Sabbath Wholly Quotes?

It was a rest more deep than any other I have ever known, and since that time I have come closest to experiencing such rest again on Sabbath days. On days set apart to focus on who God is, his gifts of rest and peace are most likely to be experienced. The greatest result of Sabbath resting is the opportunity to know the presence of God, no matter what our present circumstances might be.

Lerman suggests that this need for rest every seventh day is rooted in the fact that the human biological clock operates on a hour cycle. He also adds that the biblical Sabbath commandment includes the ideas of both cessation of labor and refreshment. When so much of life is unsure and dependent upon circumstances beyond our control, the sureness of one day in every seven to set everything aside gives us emotional stability.

Similarly, the things most conducive to intellectual rest are those aids that either lead us into new, creative paths of thinking or strengthen our minds in God so that the painful thinking that we have to do in days to come is undergirded. Sabbath keeping fosters instead an increase in our gentleness and tenderness, a non-aggressive stance toward others, the ability to dismantle our own power. To receive his grace and to experience his restoration of my broken and sinful life stirs me to want restoration for everyone.

To discover ourselves enfolded by grace in the holiness of God causes us to desire that same celebration for each person. Our prayers at Sabbath dinner might include the petition that our own privilege of celebrating would remind us of the needs of others and deepen our activity in caring for the hungry. Similarly, the prayers for Sabbath peace in our own lives will inevitably lead us to prayers and action for the peace of the world. Ours is an ethic of freedom,57 of loving response because God loved us first This leads to valuing persons not for their accomplishments, but for who they are.

We discover new serenity in our lives when we allow ourselves to be rather than forcing ourselves to do. If we become people of peace through the intentionality of our Sabbath keeping, then we will, out of that character of peacemaking, live in a way that promotes peace. Nicholas Wolterstorff emphasizes that the very practice of weekly worship and rest is an essential part of the character of the Christian.

Categories

The important point in all our imitation [of God] is its deliberate intentionality. We embrace them wholly To embrace is to accept with gusto, to live to the hilt, to choose with extra intentionality and tenacity. Christians would do well to follow that kind of inten-tionality. Paying such close attention to living a truly Christian lifestyle would give better witness to the world.

The grace of Sabbath refreshment and the consequent deliberateness of Sabbath contemplation and prayer can thus be carried over into the week in the ways in which we act on the values of the Christian community in every aspect of our lives. Surrounded as we are by the rapid pace of too much change, we think we cannot set aside such time. This perspective has many aspects, but one of the foremost is the deliberate decision to focus on events in time with persons rather than using time to acquire or accomplish things.

Our Sabbath remembering strengthens us to stand against the technologization of our culture and pursue the intimacy of Christian community and Christ-like caring. Furthermore, when we experience being enveloped by Sabbath time, we become people who are not enslaved to time. As we embrace time, then, we squander less and less of it for the things of space.

We get in touch with eternity and bring eternal values into all the days of our week. We can respond in no other way than to want to give in similar fashion. He says that we should instead see what God is doing in the world and become part of his program. Part of the weakness of our Christian witness stems from the fact that often it is so lackadaisical, so lackluster. The early Christians set their world on fire with the exuberance of their Joy.

We might not necessarily be happy in the particular circumstances of the moment, but we can always know Joy because the Resurrection is an accomplished fact. Furthermore, we can be confident that nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus Rom. These unfailing assurances lead us to profound Joy. Everyone in the world is looking for such confidence and hope, and each of us is particularly suited for sharing it with those whom we encounter in our daily worlds.

We can embrace our calling. Perhaps the most important aspect of Sabbath keeping that contributes immensely to wholeness in our human existence is the prevalence of order. We crave order to give us a sense that things are under control, that we can cope with whatever might be happening because it fits into a larger plan. That is why the keeping of the Sabbath rhythm is so important: We Christians, too, can establish certain regular customs for Sabbath days. By observing them on a constant basis, we give order to our lives, although we want to be careful lest such customs degenerate into dull routines and onerous legalistic burdens.

The most important ordering takes place in our lives when we observe the Sabbath focus of placing God at the center and then prioritize everything else in proper relation to that focus.

No Account?

Keeping the Sabbath day constantly reminds us that Yahweh is to be pre-eminent in our lives. The Sabbath rhythm, then, enables us to integrate all the scattered parts of our selves into a whole. Even in the times of darkness and sadness, keeping the Sabbath gives us a means for finding wholeness in the midst of our pain. This is illustrated by the unusual ending of 2 Chronicles. Even as we cease working although our work is not done and spend the Sabbath as if we have no work to do, just so we embrace wholeness on that day even when we are not experiencing wholeness in our present circumstances.

The God who ordained that the Sabbath be kept holy is able to watch over our dark nights of the soul and give us Sabbath rest and hope even in the midst of the desolations.

We move from the negative action of trying to cease being anxious into the positive hope of wholeness. May 02, Stephen Lake rated it it was amazing. Dawn's quiet, contemplative sabbath routine inspired my family and others in a Saturday evening church we helped found some years. She had a rich but practical theology about entering into the rest of God through the practice of sabbathing.

An excellent book, the best I've found on the topic. While I may not fully agree with every finite detail the book discusses I was overwhelmed with the conviction and wisdom it held. After studying in Exodus and discovering more about the command of keeping the Sabbath and being recommended this book I learned soooo much. I would greatly recommend it to any Christian to just get the juices flowing on what a modern celebration of the weekly sabbath might look like and truly the heart behind that decision and what it is a reflection of.

I think this While I may not fully agree with every finite detail the book discusses I was overwhelmed with the conviction and wisdom it held. I think this would also be a great book for a group study and I find myself referring to it often in my bible studies.


  • Bi-Vent: Utilizing Airway Pressure Release Ventilation.
  • Living Lawfully: Love in Law and Law in Love (Law and Philosophy Library);
  • THE PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN LIFE.
  • .

Feb 10, Deirdre rated it really liked it Shelves: Good, thorough exposition of what it means to keep the Sabbath. It's a bit dated in some places, she says some odd things in other places, and it's a bit repetitive, but overall it was quite good. I like her robust theology of Sabbath, which calls for Sabbath-keeping not only as something you as an individual do to become a better follower of Jesus by acknowledging your limits and trusting God with the work that you do but also something that draws you deeper into your community and the pursuit Good, thorough exposition of what it means to keep the Sabbath.

I like her robust theology of Sabbath, which calls for Sabbath-keeping not only as something you as an individual do to become a better follower of Jesus by acknowledging your limits and trusting God with the work that you do but also something that draws you deeper into your community and the pursuit of justice.

Jul 15, Andrew rated it really liked it.

Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting

This classic on the Sabbath steers far clear of the legalism that has often surrounded Sunday. Marva Dawn frames this gift to God's people positively with emphases on ceasing, resting, embracing, and feasting. The Sabbath is a time for renewal that can actually make us more alert and more productive and more in tune with God than if we push each day of the week.

May 10, Erin Henderson rated it really liked it.

Business Hours

This book helped me identify sabbath principles that I could commit to and adapt so that I could practically apply them in my life. Great book on living the Sabbath on a daily basis during your life The caliber of the book and message. It has life changing suggestions to increase the spiritual part of your life. Sep 17, Patrick rated it it was amazing. This is an excellent book offering contemporary Christians why and how to observe the Sabbath in our busy, fragmented lives.

Sep 17, Kate rated it really liked it Shelves: I enjoyed this book and was challenged by the community. Always wanted to belong to a church that put a greater emphasis on the Sabbath.


  • Minders Oath: Book 2 of the High Places Series!
  • The News Where You Are.
  • The Family Business.

Oct 14, Kristen rated it liked it Shelves: Before I was married and a mother, keeping the sabbath was easy. I read Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva Dawn to remind myself why I need to press on towards making my Sundays the way they ought to be, even in the midst of all of my busyness. I really appreciated Keeping the Sabbath Wholly.

Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting - Logos Bible Software

Dawn works her way through four elements of sabbath keeping: By our ceasing and resting, we have room to embrace the values that we ought: And then, after the ceasing, resting and embracing, our feasting is that much sweeter. Dawn makes sabbath keeping to her readers more than just a sound theological practice, but something that is inherently necessary for them to be all that God made them to be, and remarkably, does all of that without making the book one big guilt trip. It is a delight, a feasting on that which is eternal rather than a scrambling after the ephemeral success, the amassed wealth, the ceaseless activities, the elegant refinement that Americans think will grant them permanent happiness.

Instead of trying to create our own security, we worship the one who is our security. But I don t wanna go to church! What a sad commentary it is on North American spirituality, she writes, that the delight of keeping the Sabbath day has degenerated into the routine and drudgery—even the downright oppressiveness—of going to church. According to Dawn, the phrase going to church both reveals and promotes bad theology: The regular gathering together of God s people for worship is important—it enables them to be church in the world—but the act of worship is only a small part of observing the Sabbath.

This refreshing book invites the reader to experience the wholeness and joy that come from observing God s order for life—a rhythm of working six days and setting apart one day for rest, worship, festivity, and relationships. Dawn develops a four-part pattern for keeping the Sabbath: Combining sound biblical theology and research into Jewish traditions with many practical suggestions, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly offers a healthy balance between head and heart: Dawn s work— unpretentiously eloquent, refreshingly personal in tone, and rich with inspiring example—promotes the discipline of Sabbath-keeping not as a legalistic duty but as the way to freedom, delight, and joy.

Christians and Jews, pastors and laypeople, individuals and small groups—all will benefit greatly from reading and discussing the book and putting its ideas into practice. Ceasing Productivity and Accomplishment.