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P R A C T I C I N G
SABBATH Fall 2016 Sunday School Series
Sabbath in the City:
Doi n g Les s i n a Cu lt u r e o f Mo r e
Week 5
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Introduction# With!fast-paced!lives!and!over-stuffed!schedules,!many!of!us!are!left!to!wonder!how! we!can!make!it!all!work.!Demands!at!the!office!and!duties!at!home!push!and!pull!us! in!opposite!directions.!We!feel!stretched!thin!to!the!point!of!breaking.!Even!though! we!long!for!rest,!we!rarely!take!it.!We!fear!falling!behind!or!not!measuring!up.!At! best,!multitasking!becomes!a!way!of!life,!and!we!are!driven!to!move!faster!and!faster! in!order!to!get!everything!done.!At!worst,!we!are!seduced!into!believing!that!our! busyness!is!a!badge!of!honor,!a!way!of!publically!proclaiming!how!important!we!are.! The!biblical!principle!of!Sabbath!offers!a!profound!alternative!to!this!way!of!being.!In! establishing!a!regular!rhythm!of!rest,!the!Sabbath!equips!us!to!resist!our!culture’s! preoccupation!with!production!and!performance.!In!setting!limits!to!what’s!enough,! the!Sabbath!beckons!us!to!re-cultivate!the!rich!soil!of!balance!and!gratitude!in!our! lives.!In!stilling!our!anxieties!about!abundance,!the!Sabbath!frees!us!to!reconnect! with!our!families,!our!values,!and!our!passions.!In!this!lesson,!we!will!examine!four! ways!in!which!practicing!Sabbath!can!serve!as!an!antidote!to!the!epidemic!of! busyness!in!our!lives!and!our!culture.!! ! !
Lesson#at#a#glance# # # #
I.####Saying#No#to#Good#Things## II.###Setting#Limits#for#What’s#Enough# III.##Slowing#Down#the#Pace#of#Life##
# #
IV.##Surrendering#Control#of#Our#Schedules#
Notes#
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Conversation#starter# th
Thomas!Merton,!a!20 !c.!Trappist!Monk,!once!remarked:!“To!allow!oneself!to!be! carried!away!by!a!multitude!of!conflicting!concerns,!to!surrender!to!too!many! demands,!to!commit!oneself!to!too!many!projects,!to!want!to!help!everyone!in! everything,!is!to!succumb!to!violence.”!How!can!busyness!be!a!form!of!violence?!! How!does!busyness!adversely!affect!your!life?!!
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_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! !
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IV.#Surrendering#Control#of#our#Schedules## Many!individuals!and!families!find!shared!calendars!indispensible.!But!what!would!it! look!like!to!think!theologically!about!your!weekly!schedule?! ! Read#Matthew#6:24.#In!Christian!circles,!it!is!often!said!that!our!checkbooks!(or! online!bank!accounts)!are!spiritual!documents.!In!many!cases,!what!we!spend! money!on!reveals!our!deepest!values!and!priorities.!Much!of!the!same!can!be!said!of! our!schedules!and!calendars.!What!we!schedule!(or!not!schedule)!reveals!a!lot!about! what!we!think!is!important!in!our!lives.! ! If!a!stranger!found!your!cell!phone!and!could!access!your!calendar,!what! recurring!events!would!they!find?!What!wouldn’t!they!see!scheduled?!What! might!they!conclude!about!your!values!and!priorities?! ! ! Thinking!theologically!about!our!schedules!would!mean!being!more!intentional! about!at!least!two!questions:!! ! (1) When!and!how!do!you!schedule!moments!of!rest!in!a!given!week?!Do!you! observe!a!day!of!Sabbath?!If!so,!which!day!is!it?!Or,!do!you!schedule!small! “moments”!of!Sabbath!throughout!the!week?!What!are!the!pros!and!cons!of! each!approach?!! ! ! (2) How!would!you!define!work?!Is!your!work!easily!contained!within!certain! places!(the!office)!or!certain!times!(Mon-Fri)?!Is!work!only!something!you! are!paid!for?!At!home,!what!sorts!of!activities!feel!like!work?!How!would! establishing!a!definition!of!work!in!your!life!help!you!practice!Sabbath?! ! ! ! !
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I.#Saying#No#to#Good#Things# One!of!the!root!causes!of!busyness!is!our!tendency!to!over-commit!to!good!things— opportunities!to!advance!our!careers,!help!our!families,!and!serve!others.!! Read#Exodus#18:13;18.!Leading!up!to!this!text!Moses’!father-in-law,!Jethro,!comes! to!visit!Moses!in!the!wilderness.!Upon!hearing!about!the!LORD’s!deliverance!of!the! people!from!Egypt,!Jethro!rejoices.!But!when!he!sees!all!that!his!son-in-law!was! doing,!he!raises!a!question!(v.!14).!While!Moses!attempts!to!defend!his!busyness,! Jethro!does!not!compliment!Moses!for!all!of!the!good!work!he!was!doing!to!oversee! the!people,!settle!disputes,!and!teach!them!the!statutes!and!instructions!(torah)!of! God.!Rather,!he!says:!“What!you!are!doing!is!not$good.”!! ! What!was!“not!good”!about!all!of!Moses’!good!work!on!behalf!of!God!and! the!people?!How!do!you!think!Moses!would!have!felt!upon!hearing!these! words!from!his!father-in-law?!!! ! ! ! Read#Exodus#18:19;23.#In!the!conclusion!to!the!story,!Jethro!invites!Moses!to! delegate!responsibility.!Though!Moses!had!much!good!and!important!work!to!do,!he! still!had!to!learn!how!to!utter!a!“holy!NO”!to!some!of!the!good!things!that!he!was! doing.!To!be!more!of!the!leader!God!wanted!him!to!be,!Moses!had!to!do!less.!! ! When!was!the!last!time!you!said!“no”!to!a!good!thing?!Why!was!it!hard!to! do?!How!did!saying!“no”!to!this!thing!or!opportunity!enable!you!to!say!“yes”! to!something!else?! ! !
!
II.# Setting#Limits#for#What’s#Enough #
!
In!continually!striving!after!more—money,!accomplishments,!accolades,!activities— we!can!potentially!miss!the!freedom!and!gratitude!that!comes!with!saying!“enough.”!!!
Faced!with!ever-increasing!duties!and!demands,!we!often!turn!to!multitasking!and! other!means!of!increasing!efficiency!in!order!to!get!everything!done.!!!!
Consider#the#words#of#a#2014#Cadillac#commercial:#
Read#Galatians#5:22;23.#Many!Christians!are!familiar!with!these!so-called!“fruits!of! the!Spirit.”!While!these!characteristics!are!widely!valued,!we!rarely!consider!how!the! pace!of!our!lives!affects!our!ability!to!manifest!these!traits.!! ! Which!of!these!fruits!of!the!Spirit!are!most!apt!to!fade!from!your!life!when! you!are!in!a!constant!hurry?!Why?!! ! ! In!today’s!day!and!age,!we!take!multitasking!for!granted.!In!fact,!we!assume!that!we! can!be!more!productive!when!we!do!more!than!one!thing!at!a!time.!But!virtually!all! studies!show!that!multitasking!does!not$work.!It!divides!our!attention!and!decreases! our!proficiency!at!the!tasks!at!hand.!Worse!still,!it!can!lead!to!a!disconnected!life!in! which!we!are!never!fully!present!with!others—or!God.!!
#
“Why!do!we!work!so!hard?!For!what?!For!this?!For!stuff?!Other!countries!they! work,!they!stroll!home,!they!stop!by!the!cafe,!they!take!August!off.!Off.!Why! aren’t!you!like!that?!Why!aren’t!we!like!that?!Because!we’re!crazy!driven,!hard! working!believers,!that’s!why.…!It’s!pretty!simple.!You!work!hard,!you!create! your!own!luck,!and!you!gotta!believe!anything’s!possible.!As!for!all!the!stuff,! that’s!the!up-side!of!only!taking!two!weeks!off!in!August.”!! ! What!is!your!reaction!to!the!perspective!voiced!in!this!commercial?!If!being! able!to!buy!the!nice!car!is!the!up-side!of!being!“crazy!driven,”!what!are!the! potential!down-sides?! ! ! ! The!idealization!of!the!“hard!working!believer”!is!not!only!a!product!of!our!secular,! materialistic!culture.!Similar!ideals!are!found!in!the!Protestant!work!ethic.!This!17th! c.!notion,!which!forms!the!backbone!of!modern!western!civilization,!suggests!that!a! person’s!drive!toward!success!and!work!is!a!sure!sign!that!he/she!is!saved.!In! contrast,!consider!the!words!of!the!following!two!Christian!theologians:! !
“A#being#is#free#only#when#it#can#determine#and#limit#its#[own]#activity.”## # -!Karl!Barth! !
“The#great#paradox#which#Scripture#reveals#to#us#is#that#real#and#total#freedom# is#only#found#through#downward#mobility.”#–!Henri!Nouwen! !
! What!sort!of!freedom!comes!from!limitation!and!“downward!mobility”?! How!can!you!cultivate!this!freedom!in!your!own!life?!! ! !
III.#Slowing#Down#the#Pace#of#Life#
!
For!you,!what!are!some!of!the!“unintended!consequences”!of!multitasking! at!work?!At!home?!In!parenting?!In!worship?!!What!would!be!the!benefit!of! setting!aside!one!day!a!week!as!a!Sabbath!from!multitasking?!
! #
# Read#Matthew#14:22;27.#Here!and!in!many!other!instances!in!the!Gospels,!Jesus! withdraws!from!the!crowds.!While!his!work!of!teaching!and!healing!is!not!done,! Jesus!intentionally!pursues!solitude!and!stillness!before!God.! ! Do!you!think!Jesus!would!have!faced!any!criticism!for!doing!this?!Why?! What!stands!in!the!way!of!you!finding!time!for!solitude!and!stillness!before! God?! !
!
II.# Setting#Limits#for#What’s#Enough #
!
In!continually!striving!after!more—money,!accomplishments,!accolades,!activities— we!can!potentially!miss!the!freedom!and!gratitude!that!comes!with!saying!“enough.”!!!
Faced!with!ever-increasing!duties!and!demands,!we!often!turn!to!multitasking!and! other!means!of!increasing!efficiency!in!order!to!get!everything!done.!!!!
Consider#the#words#of#a#2014#Cadillac#commercial:#
Read#Galatians#5:22;23.#Many!Christians!are!familiar!with!these!so-called!“fruits!of! the!Spirit.”!While!these!characteristics!are!widely!valued,!we!rarely!consider!how!the! pace!of!our!lives!affects!our!ability!to!manifest!these!traits.!! ! Which!of!these!fruits!of!the!Spirit!are!most!apt!to!fade!from!your!life!when! you!are!in!a!constant!hurry?!Why?!! ! ! In!today’s!day!and!age,!we!take!multitasking!for!granted.!In!fact,!we!assume!that!we! can!be!more!productive!when!we!do!more!than!one!thing!at!a!time.!But!virtually!all! studies!show!that!multitasking!does!not$work.!It!divides!our!attention!and!decreases! our!proficiency!at!the!tasks!at!hand.!Worse!still,!it!can!lead!to!a!disconnected!life!in! which!we!are!never!fully!present!with!others—or!God.!!
#
“Why!do!we!work!so!hard?!For!what?!For!this?!For!stuff?!Other!countries!they! work,!they!stroll!home,!they!stop!by!the!cafe,!they!take!August!off.!Off.!Why! aren’t!you!like!that?!Why!aren’t!we!like!that?!Because!we’re!crazy!driven,!hard! working!believers,!that’s!why.…!It’s!pretty!simple.!You!work!hard,!you!create! your!own!luck,!and!you!gotta!believe!anything’s!possible.!As!for!all!the!stuff,! that’s!the!up-side!of!only!taking!two!weeks!off!in!August.”!! ! What!is!your!reaction!to!the!perspective!voiced!in!this!commercial?!If!being! able!to!buy!the!nice!car!is!the!up-side!of!being!“crazy!driven,”!what!are!the! potential!down-sides?! ! ! ! The!idealization!of!the!“hard!working!believer”!is!not!only!a!product!of!our!secular,! materialistic!culture.!Similar!ideals!are!found!in!the!Protestant!work!ethic.!This!17th! c.!notion,!which!forms!the!backbone!of!modern!western!civilization,!suggests!that!a! person’s!drive!toward!success!and!work!is!a!sure!sign!that!he/she!is!saved.!In! contrast,!consider!the!words!of!the!following!two!Christian!theologians:! !
“A#being#is#free#only#when#it#can#determine#and#limit#its#[own]#activity.”## # -!Karl!Barth! !
“The#great#paradox#which#Scripture#reveals#to#us#is#that#real#and#total#freedom# is#only#found#through#downward#mobility.”#–!Henri!Nouwen! !
! What!sort!of!freedom!comes!from!limitation!and!“downward!mobility”?! How!can!you!cultivate!this!freedom!in!your!own!life?!! ! !
III.#Slowing#Down#the#Pace#of#Life#
!
For!you,!what!are!some!of!the!“unintended!consequences”!of!multitasking! at!work?!At!home?!In!parenting?!In!worship?!!What!would!be!the!benefit!of! setting!aside!one!day!a!week!as!a!Sabbath!from!multitasking?!
! #
# Read#Matthew#14:22;27.#Here!and!in!many!other!instances!in!the!Gospels,!Jesus! withdraws!from!the!crowds.!While!his!work!of!teaching!and!healing!is!not!done,! Jesus!intentionally!pursues!solitude!and!stillness!before!God.! ! Do!you!think!Jesus!would!have!faced!any!criticism!for!doing!this?!Why?! What!stands!in!the!way!of!you!finding!time!for!solitude!and!stillness!before! God?! !
!
IV.#Surrendering#Control#of#our#Schedules## Many!individuals!and!families!find!shared!calendars!indispensible.!But!what!would!it! look!like!to!think!theologically!about!your!weekly!schedule?! ! Read#Matthew#6:24.#In!Christian!circles,!it!is!often!said!that!our!checkbooks!(or! online!bank!accounts)!are!spiritual!documents.!In!many!cases,!what!we!spend! money!on!reveals!our!deepest!values!and!priorities.!Much!of!the!same!can!be!said!of! our!schedules!and!calendars.!What!we!schedule!(or!not!schedule)!reveals!a!lot!about! what!we!think!is!important!in!our!lives.! ! If!a!stranger!found!your!cell!phone!and!could!access!your!calendar,!what! recurring!events!would!they!find?!What!wouldn’t!they!see!scheduled?!What! might!they!conclude!about!your!values!and!priorities?! ! ! Thinking!theologically!about!our!schedules!would!mean!being!more!intentional! about!at!least!two!questions:!! ! (1) When!and!how!do!you!schedule!moments!of!rest!in!a!given!week?!Do!you! observe!a!day!of!Sabbath?!If!so,!which!day!is!it?!Or,!do!you!schedule!small! “moments”!of!Sabbath!throughout!the!week?!What!are!the!pros!and!cons!of! each!approach?!! ! ! (2) How!would!you!define!work?!Is!your!work!easily!contained!within!certain! places!(the!office)!or!certain!times!(Mon-Fri)?!Is!work!only!something!you! are!paid!for?!At!home,!what!sorts!of!activities!feel!like!work?!How!would! establishing!a!definition!of!work!in!your!life!help!you!practice!Sabbath?! ! ! ! !
!
!
!
I.#Saying#No#to#Good#Things# One!of!the!root!causes!of!busyness!is!our!tendency!to!over-commit!to!good!things— opportunities!to!advance!our!careers,!help!our!families,!and!serve!others.!! Read#Exodus#18:13;18.!Leading!up!to!this!text!Moses’!father-in-law,!Jethro,!comes! to!visit!Moses!in!the!wilderness.!Upon!hearing!about!the!LORD’s!deliverance!of!the! people!from!Egypt,!Jethro!rejoices.!But!when!he!sees!all!that!his!son-in-law!was! doing,!he!raises!a!question!(v.!14).!While!Moses!attempts!to!defend!his!busyness,! Jethro!does!not!compliment!Moses!for!all!of!the!good!work!he!was!doing!to!oversee! the!people,!settle!disputes,!and!teach!them!the!statutes!and!instructions!(torah)!of! God.!Rather,!he!says:!“What!you!are!doing!is!not$good.”!! ! What!was!“not!good”!about!all!of!Moses’!good!work!on!behalf!of!God!and! the!people?!How!do!you!think!Moses!would!have!felt!upon!hearing!these! words!from!his!father-in-law?!!! ! ! ! Read#Exodus#18:19;23.#In!the!conclusion!to!the!story,!Jethro!invites!Moses!to! delegate!responsibility.!Though!Moses!had!much!good!and!important!work!to!do,!he! still!had!to!learn!how!to!utter!a!“holy!NO”!to!some!of!the!good!things!that!he!was! doing.!To!be!more!of!the!leader!God!wanted!him!to!be,!Moses!had!to!do!less.!! ! When!was!the!last!time!you!said!“no”!to!a!good!thing?!Why!was!it!hard!to! do?!How!did!saying!“no”!to!this!thing!or!opportunity!enable!you!to!say!“yes”! to!something!else?! ! !
! !!
Introduction# With!fast-paced!lives!and!over-stuffed!schedules,!many!of!us!are!left!to!wonder!how! we!can!make!it!all!work.!Demands!at!the!office!and!duties!at!home!push!and!pull!us! in!opposite!directions.!We!feel!stretched!thin!to!the!point!of!breaking.!Even!though! we!long!for!rest,!we!rarely!take!it.!We!fear!falling!behind!or!not!measuring!up.!At! best,!multitasking!becomes!a!way!of!life,!and!we!are!driven!to!move!faster!and!faster! in!order!to!get!everything!done.!At!worst,!we!are!seduced!into!believing!that!our! busyness!is!a!badge!of!honor,!a!way!of!publically!proclaiming!how!important!we!are.! The!biblical!principle!of!Sabbath!offers!a!profound!alternative!to!this!way!of!being.!In! establishing!a!regular!rhythm!of!rest,!the!Sabbath!equips!us!to!resist!our!culture’s! preoccupation!with!production!and!performance.!In!setting!limits!to!what’s!enough,! the!Sabbath!beckons!us!to!re-cultivate!the!rich!soil!of!balance!and!gratitude!in!our! lives.!In!stilling!our!anxieties!about!abundance,!the!Sabbath!frees!us!to!reconnect! with!our!families,!our!values,!and!our!passions.!In!this!lesson,!we!will!examine!four! ways!in!which!practicing!Sabbath!can!serve!as!an!antidote!to!the!epidemic!of! busyness!in!our!lives!and!our!culture.!! ! !
Lesson#at#a#glance# # # #
I.####Saying#No#to#Good#Things## II.###Setting#Limits#for#What’s#Enough# III.##Slowing#Down#the#Pace#of#Life##
# #
IV.##Surrendering#Control#of#Our#Schedules#
Notes#
! _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________!
Conversation#starter# th
Thomas!Merton,!a!20 !c.!Trappist!Monk,!once!remarked:!“To!allow!oneself!to!be! carried!away!by!a!multitude!of!conflicting!concerns,!to!surrender!to!too!many! demands,!to!commit!oneself!to!too!many!projects,!to!want!to!help!everyone!in! everything,!is!to!succumb!to!violence.”!How!can!busyness!be!a!form!of!violence?!! How!does!busyness!adversely!affect!your!life?!!
#
!
_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! !
!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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P R A C T I C I N G
SABBATH Fall 2016 Sunday School Series
Sabbath in the City:
Doi n g Les s i n a Cu lt u r e o f Mo r e
Week 5