What is rest and why is it important?The Message from The Gathering Place, Feb 26, 2023thegatheringplacefl.org(Genesis 2:2,3 NIV). By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 2:2,3 NIV)Sabbath - “to cease, to stop working”The Fourth (and longest) Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11 NIV)8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11 NIV)Sabbath, when lived, is our means as the people of God to bear witness tothe way we understand life, its rhythms, its gifts, its meaning, and its ultimatepurpose in God. Observing the Sabbath, we affirm: “God is the center and sourceof our lives. He is the beginning, the middle and the end of our existence.” - Pete ScazzeroOne of the great dangers of faithfully observing Sabbath is legalismNext 2 weeks we will discuss 4 practicesPractice 1: Sabbath is first and foremost a day of “stopping.”On Sabbath I embrace my limits. God is God. He is indispensable. I am hiscreature. The world continues working fine when I stop.Psalm 46:10 NIV - “Be still, and know that I am God”Practice 2: Once we stop, the Sabbath calls us to rest.Nine possibilities to consider replacing with rest.- physical exhaustion- hurriedness- multitasking- competitiveness- worry- decision-making- catching up on errands- talking- technology and machines(e.g., smart phones, TV, computersWhen we stop and rest, we respect our humanity and the image of God in us.We don’t serve the Sabbath. The Sabbath serves us.

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