Practicing the Sabbath, as with all the other spiritual disciplines we call the Practices of Jesus, a.k.a. “Practicing the Way,” is part of a continuous journey of spiritual formation. It’s nearly impossible to go from your current state living in a frenetic world with too many things to do in not enough time in the day to spending a full day to worship God.

The Final Movement: Sabbath as Worship
We’ve come to the last teaching session of the spiritual practice of Sabbath, and my prayer for you is this: wherever you are in the journey, whether it's been life-giving or frustrating, keep at it

Joy can be explained across three facets: Joy is the feeling you experience when you follow how God wants you to live. Joy is a condition or character trait. By following Jesus you naturally become more joyful not by the circumstances of your life.

Sabbath is an act of Resistance
Last week, we explored the truth that Sabbath is a cosmic rhythm (a 6:1 pattern) designed by our Creator God—rooted in Exodus 20:8–11. This week, we shift to a powerful new movement:

As we begin our “liturgy” of spiritual disciplines--a regular and intentional walking through of the nine Practices of Jesus throughout the year--it’s helpful to reflect on the wisdom of M. Robert Mulholland, an esteemed Asbury Theological Seminary professor known for his work on spiritual formation and discipleship.

We spent time this week reflecting as a community on the Practice of the Sabbath. Chris Rhoades and Pastor Dave discussed this on the couch and Kalyn Kim and Grant Maeshiro joined.

This week’s lesson on the Sabbath Practice is about the Sabbath as worship -- the most important movement of them all.

This week’s lesson on the Sabbath Practice is about the Sabbath as delight -- a conscious choice to focus on what is “very good” on earth. Amidst the ugliness and darkness that can seep into everyday life we choose to find the joy.

This week’s lesson on the Sabbath Practice is about the Sabbath as resistance  -- Resistance to the “New Egypt” that is our Western world’s system stoking our “restlessness,” defined by a constant yearning for more.

Why We’re Doing This. Quite simply, I personally have felt for some time that it’s time to stop “doing church,” and instead to “be the church.” This means to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and to do what Jesus did. It’s a lifestyle and process of spiritual formation. Jesus’ message is so much bigger and profound than the sin management that modern church has focused upon.