Why we Sabbath
Why we Sabbath
Rest is extremely important, and too often neglected. Not just napping, but rest of the soul. Rest is often a good indicator of spiritual health. This is why at specific points during the year at Rock Haven Church our student ministry volunteers take a Sabbath Sunday to rest. We have chosen to do this for four primary reasons:
1) The Bible tells us to
Taking a Sabbath was not my own personal idea for a break; it was God’s creation, which he commands us to obey. Exodus 20 lays out the Ten Commandments which tell us to “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8). Jesus explains this command further in Mark when he says, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” In other words, the commandment is not there merely to be kept out of utter willpower but for the purpose of keeping his people holy before God. We want to be a holy people for God.
2) We invest in people over programs
At Rock Haven Church, we do have structure for ministry, but it is for the overall purpose of investing in people. People are more important than programs. We are investing rest into our volunteers because we love them, and we do this because they are, in turn investing in students whom they also love. Volunteers who are cared for are volunteers who stick around longer. Discipleship is a long-term investment, and people who invest over time are irreplaceable and priceless. Rest is essential to combat the modern tendency to pursue production over purpose. Rest removes the idols in our lives of productivity that are so ingrained by our culture. Rest challenges Christians to value what is important and not merely urgent.
3) We are pursuing dependence on Jesus together
I truly believe one of the greatest needs of our generation is learning to rest in the timeless eternity that is God. Boethius says that “all of time is present to God.” It is God’s time, not mine. Time has such a unique way of slowing down with Jesus, and that is not a coincidence. I am far more susceptible to anxiety when I am busy. Life’s distractions only amplify the need. We are teaching a vital life skill for the world today. People who can rest will be the most adjusted and Jesus-dependent people in the world. The Sabbath keepers are the ones who have what the world wants – peace amidst the chaos. The key is Jesus.
4) Family worship is important too
We love to teach your students about Jesus! And we also recognize that families are the seedbed in which spiritual growth fully matures in kids. So, we give time during the year for our volunteers to worship with their families because there is value in participating in church together. Additionally, we also want you to take the opportunity to be in church with your children. I know they can be a distraction (I know I am by my kids sometimes), and that is ok. Because I also know that I am teaching them the lesson that being in church as a family is also important. That I, as a parent, also get to teach my kids about God. Kids make noise; that is the beautiful sound of the next generation of Christians. Kids crying and making noise during church is the sound of a living church. It is the sound of the family of Rock Haven Church pursuing Christ together.
That is why we Sabbath. Many of our sabbaths fall on holidays when natural breaks occur. Others are dates chosen to help rest amidst longer periods of ministry. The purpose remains the same. We love our volunteers. We love your students. We love people. All because God first loved us. God did not make wooden idols for a reason, because we are the image bearers of God to the world. Rest is foreign to the drying world. To offer the rest of Jesus to a dying and overly busy world is far more refreshing than water to a parched man.