Giving the Gift of Sabbath

In this season of great personal and cultural disruption, followers of Jesus have a choice of how we’ll respond. Will we give up? Will we check out? Or will we continue to follow Jesus? This message kicks off an 8-week series, on following Jesus in difficult times, in which we’ll discover how to become more like Jesus for the good of others.

"Take a break!” God’s call to cultivate a Sabbath lifestyle is His invitation in a too full, too anxious, too demanding life to “take a break” regularly. He calls us to do this as a testimony of His love for us, His ability to care for us and as a testimony of our design. We were made to live from rest, from a confidence that God’s got it all. Get ready to discover this astounding gift from God which has the potential to transform our lives, if we let it.

Most people agree that prayer is an important part of life, but few of us actually do it in a meaningful way. The idea of prayer can be enticing, but the practice of prayer can feel intimidating. Let’s discover how accessible and powerful the simple act of prayer can be for our lives.

Respiration - inhaling and exhaling - is vital to our physical life. In this Cultivate series we are learning that another kind of respiration is just as essential to our spiritual life. Whether it’s inhaling the rest of sabbath, of God’s presence in prayer or the God breathed Word, each plays a role in our process of becoming more like Jesus for the good of others. In this talk we learn the Life-giving power to taking in God’s daily breath/Word.

Maybe you’ve taken the step to make Scripture reading a part of your regular routine, taking in God’s Daily Breath, but has it changed how you live yet? Not only is God’s Word meant to be life for us, but it’s also how we give life to the world around us.

We are in a cultural moment that requires better women and men to rise up, be present and serve the world. Seems like a tall order, but there’s actually an accessible and ancient path of formation that can set us free to become the people God wants to build in our world and for our world.