Faith Practice Two: Keeping Sabbath

Focus of the session:

We explore patterns of keeping Sabbath and the broader issue of how we think about time, in order to consider what practices enable us to live each day fully, knowing that we will die.
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The faith practice of keeping Sabbath underscores the rhythm for life that is God-given, restoring the faith-perspective of the natural rhythm of life and death. This helps us - in our families and in our faith communities - say "no" to a society that would lure us to work ourselves to death. "Keeping Sabbath" takes on a whole new meaning if we think in terms of receiving the day as a gift from God and seeing time as holy.

This session involves Talking Points that discuss taking a new look at time ("Our God, Our Help in Ages Past"), activites that correlate the biblical story of God providing manna to time as a gift from God ("Manna Time") and music that asks participants to evaluate their own views on time in their life ("Running Just to Catch Myself").

Key Points:

• Christian Sabbath has evolved from Jewish roots
• Time is made holy by God's presence
• Time is not really ours to manage
• For the Hebrews, the day begins at sundown
• Time can be viewed as a circle.