rhythms of grace

Dear Church Family,

This Sunday we explored one of the most overlooked rhythms in the life of Jesus: Sabbath.

Interestingly, the message fell on my birthday. And one thing I have realized as I have gotten older is that certain things that once felt optional now feel necessary.

One of those things is stretching.When I was younger, stretching felt like a waste of time. You just showed up and started playing. Nothing hurt. You felt fine. But somewhere along the way that changed. Now if I skip stretching, my body reminds me pretty quickly. Things tighten up. Things get sore. Things hurt that probably should not hurt.

Stretching was never about earning the right to play. It was about protecting the body so it could function the way it was designed.

In many ways, Sabbath works like that for our souls.

It is not something we practice to earn God's love. It is a rhythm God designed to help us live the way we were created to live.

Sometimes the things we ignore eventually become the problems we cannot ignore.

God designed our lives with rhythms. When we ignore them long enough, something inside us begins to tighten. We become hurried. Restless. Spiritually dry.

Not because God moved away.
But because we stepped outside the rhythms He designed for life.

This is why we are in our Rhythms of Grace series. We are exploring the spiritual practices that shape our lives with Jesus.

Because genuine growth is gradual.
And genuine growth is intentional, not accidental.

One of the rhythms Jesus practiced was Sabbath.

Sabbath literally means to stop. It is the intentional rhythm of pausing our normal pace so we can rest, delight, worship, and remember that God is in control.

And at its core, Sabbath offers three beautiful gifts.

Rest.

God restores our bodies and minds. We were never designed for constant output.

Relief.

Sabbath frees us from the pressure of believing everything depends on us.

Reliance.

When we stop working, we practice trusting God again.

And that leads to the heart of the message:

Sabbath’s primary gift is not rest from work. It is rest in God.

From the opening pages of Genesis, to the Ten Commandments, to the teachings of Jesus, Sabbath was always meant to be a gift. It reminds us that our identity is not found in production or performance, but in belonging to God.

When we stop working, we are declaring something with our lives.

God, you are enough.
God, I trust you.
God, the world does not depend on me.

And when we begin to live in that rhythm, something beautiful begins to happen.

Our souls begin to breathe again.

Jesus once said:

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
— Matthew 11:28

Sabbath is one of the ways we learn to receive that rest. Try it for yourself. 

Sabbath reminds us that surrender is not losing. It is where true life begins.