Call to worship:
1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he utteredPsalm 105:1-5
Gathering Video
Questions for reflection:
How is the exclusivity of Jesus both difficult and good news?
What kind of rest does Jesus offer? How is it experienced today?
In what ways does sabbath lead us toward replenishment and rest today?
Corporate Prayer:
Our Father in Heaven,
We thank you for this season that reminds us of who You are and what You've done. We ask that by the power of Your Spirt, we'd be enabled to behold Your Son and rest well. Shape us and use us for Your glory and the good of those around us.
In the name of Jesus we pray,
Amen
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Notes//Quotes//Slides:
Matthew 11:25-30
“At the heart of the revelation is this simple fact: God’s whole truth (“absolutely everything”) has been placed in and revealed through Jesus the Son. The key to divine revelation is Jesus. In Jesus, God gets a face. Jesus invites us to himself, and we feel quite naturally that we are invited to God.” - Dale Bruner
Hebrews 1:1-4
“Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There’s a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.” - Bill Gates
A yoke is a work instrument. Thus when Jesus offers a yoke he offers what we might think tired workers need least. They need a mattress or a vacation, not a yoke. Still more precisely: A yoke is not a sitting instrument; it is a walking instrument. Jesus does not say, “Take my chair and learn from me”; he says, “Take my yoke and learn from me,” which means that as we seek to live in obedience to Jesus we learn from Jesus along the way. Jesus realizes that the most restful gift he can give the tired is a new way to carry life, a fresh way to bear responsibilities. Life is a succession of burdens; we cannot get away from them; thus instead of offering escape, Jesus offers equipment. - Dale Bruner
“An easy life isn’t an option; an easy yoke is.” - John Mark Comer
Mike Gaston Slides:
“Thus says the Lord:
‘Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.’
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Jeremiah 6:16
For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath
Matthew 12:8
Attached Image 1 (Eugene Peterson)
“Odd, isn’t it? We have more leisure hours per person per year as a country than anyone could have guessed a hundred years ago. But we are not leisurely. We are not relaxed. We are anxious. We are in a hurry. The anxiety and the hurry ruin intimacy and sabotage our best intentions in faith, hope and love – the three actions in which most of us set out to do our best.
That is why I as your pastor want you to keep a Sabbath. I want you to live well. I want you to live whole and mature, with appreciation and pleasure, experiencing the heights and depths of glory in your bodies and your work, your friends and your gardens, your minds and your emotions, at the ocean and in the mountains. You can’t do that if you are ‘on the run.’ You can’t do that if you are watching the clock.
Sabbath is the biblical tool for protecting time against desecration.”
Eugene Peterson
Sabbath = regular, intentional, contemplative, Christ-centered rest
Image 2 - Sabbath Rest
“The rest of God – the rest God gladly gives so that we might discover that part of God we’re missing – is not a reward for finishing. It’s not a bonus for work well done.
It’s sheer gift. It is a stop-work order in the midst of work that’s never complete, never polished. Sabbath is not the break we’re allotted at the tail end of completing all of our tasks and chores, the fulfillment of all our obligations. It’s the rest we take smack-dab in the middle of them, without apology, without guilt, and for no better reason that God told us we could.”
Mark Buchanan