Sabbath Keeping for Lent
The 40 days of Lent do not include Sundays - which are always mini-Easters, celebrations of the resurrection. They are days to live now, with awareness and intention, into the promised future God is bringing.
This Lent we are practicing sabbath more intentionally on Sundays (for those who are able). We'll begin after worship, either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon.
We’re modeling this after our pandemic practice from lockdown. At the end of March 2020, everyone received in the mail a candle, spice packet, and a closing liturgy, and we shared a weekly ritual together, even though we were apart. It looked like this:
“We are setting aside Sundays for Sabbath rest. After we log off of our worship service, we are staying off of TV, phones and other sources of news and distraction. This is time to continue remembering that we belong to God and each other, to rest in some gentleness and let that truth soak in deeper. Instead of more news, we might:
Get out in the fresh air. Take a nap. Read poetry or scripture. Cook with someone. Do yoga. Relax in the tub. Play a board game. Build legos. Write a letter. Look through photo albums. Be human in a non-plugged-in way for whole day (or for three hours minimum), at least once a week.
We believe that taking Sabbath time will help us return to the situation that being human right now is with more grace, perspective and courage.
Perhaps when you are ready to move back out of set-aside time whatever time that is in each of our homes, we might use this liturgy for leaving sabbath time, and so join our hearts:
This Lent we are practicing sabbath more intentionally on Sundays (for those who are able). We'll begin after worship, either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon.
We’re modeling this after our pandemic practice from lockdown. At the end of March 2020, everyone received in the mail a candle, spice packet, and a closing liturgy, and we shared a weekly ritual together, even though we were apart. It looked like this:
“We are setting aside Sundays for Sabbath rest. After we log off of our worship service, we are staying off of TV, phones and other sources of news and distraction. This is time to continue remembering that we belong to God and each other, to rest in some gentleness and let that truth soak in deeper. Instead of more news, we might:
Get out in the fresh air. Take a nap. Read poetry or scripture. Cook with someone. Do yoga. Relax in the tub. Play a board game. Build legos. Write a letter. Look through photo albums. Be human in a non-plugged-in way for whole day (or for three hours minimum), at least once a week.
We believe that taking Sabbath time will help us return to the situation that being human right now is with more grace, perspective and courage.
Perhaps when you are ready to move back out of set-aside time whatever time that is in each of our homes, we might use this liturgy for leaving sabbath time, and so join our hearts:
Liturgy for Leaving Sabbath Time (To be used at the end of the Day)
This ritual may be done with a group or alone.
(LNPC, March 29, 2020)
This ritual may be done with a group or alone.
- Light the Sabbath candle. (Or gather around candle that has been lit through the day).
- Moment of silence.
- Share with one another, or reflect to yourself: What was the best part of this Sabbath time for you?
- Share or reflect: What do you look forward to in the week ahead?
- Pass the spice packet, (bowl of spices, cinnamon stick, etc.) and inhale its fragrance deeply.
- Let the smell linger and remind you of the sweet depth of Sabbath rest, to carry the sense of Sabbath with you as you enter your week.
- End with a simple prayer like, “Thank you God for the blessing of Sabbath time. Thank you for the gift of life, and for sharing all of life with us. Amen.”
- Extinguish the candle.”
(LNPC, March 29, 2020)
A Prayer for Starting A Sabbath Day
Today is a Sabbath day.
For this day we will be conscious of who we are:
We will do things from joy rather than obligation.
We will notice what we need and listen.
We will play, and rest,
and resist the urge to measure ourselves by what we accomplish.
Instead we will seek to simply be.
Beloved and free.
For this day we will pay attention to whose we are:
We will notice and reject the voices
that call us against or separate.
We will be gentle to ourselves
when those voices come from within.
We will release anxiety
and rest in trust.
Again and again.
For this day we will remember:
We belong to God, and we belong to each other.
To everyone everywhere.
Today we choose to celebrate that belonging
in whatever ways it occurs to us
whenever they arise.
God is right here.
Right.
Here.
Now.
It is all gift.
Today we stop
on purpose
to receive the gift.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
(Kara Root, from Receiving This Life)
If Sabbath practice is new, or rusty, for you, here's a helpful reminder, a bit of LNPC's sabbath story, some thoughts on sabbath in scripture.
And here are some concrete sabbath ideas and tips.
And here are some concrete sabbath ideas and tips.
