This year, rather than gathering on the Sunday following Christmas to worship together as usual, we’re creating space for our community to practice Sabbath — a sacred pause to rest in the finished work of Christ. On Sunday, December 28th, Mosaic will not gather for services, but we’ll instead invite you to slow down, breathe deeply, and worship from rest.
Throughout this Christmas season, we’ve been walking through our series, O Come All Ye Faithful, exploring the great hymns that have helped generations of believers anticipate, celebrate, and adore the coming of Jesus. From “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” to “Joy to the World,” these songs remind us that the story of Christmas is not just about activity, but about abiding in the presence of the One who came to dwell with us.
Just as the Church through the centuries has gathered to sing these songs in anticipation of Christ’s coming, so too has it gathered to rest in the reality of His presence. Sabbath is the echo of Advent–an embodied way of saying, “Jesus has come, and His coming changes how we live, work, and rest.”
The Spiritual Discipline of Sabbath is living life in a six-to-one rhythm: six days of work and one day set aside to stop, rest, delight, and worship.
So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. On the seventh day, God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.
— Genesis 2:1–3 (CSB)
God rested. The all-powerful, limitless Source of life rested. In the same way that “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” calls us to wait in anticipation, Sabbath calls us to stop striving and trust that God is faithful to accomplish what He has begun.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
— Exodus 20:8–11 (NIV)
As God formed his people, he began laying out what life in his presence as his children should look like. At the onset, he gave ten instructions. Remembering the Sabbath is placed on par with honoring God above all other gods, honoring your parents, not murdering, not committing adultery, and not stealing! And the reasoning is that we, God’s image bearers, are called to imitate what God did in the first account of creation.
Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you… that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
— Deuteronomy 5:12–15 (ESV)
Here in Deuteronomy, the Ten Commandments are repeated. However, the command about the Sabbath is altered. Rather than simply “remembering,” God’s people are instructed to “observe” the Sabbath. And the reasoning for this is updated. Not only are we called to practice the Sabbath to reflect the behavior of our Father, but also to live as those who have been set free from slavery to work. God intervened to give His people the opportunity to rest. Jesus riffs off this in the Gospel of Mark:
The Sabbath was made for the needs of human beings and not the other way around.
— Mark 2:27 (VOICE)
The Sabbath isn’t something afforded only to God. The Sabbath is a gift from a loving Father to His children. God’s gift of Sabbath is a lifting up of humanity from the status of slaves to children of God. Jesus teaches that humans are more to God than what they can produce. We are invited into God’s divine rest as a gift.
The people of Jesus’ day had made Sabbath keeping a burden. In response, Jesus doesn’t revoke our invitation to Sabbath; rather, He reminds us that it’s a gift of rest for humans to experience. As soon as our rules around the Sabbath become a hardship, they become unhelpful.
There are four words closely associated with the Sabbath in the Hebrew Scriptures: stop, rest, delight, and worship. As you think about what practicing the Sabbath could look like, these four words are a good rule of thumb. Once a week, you are afforded the opportunity to stop producing, rest from your work, delight in God’s gifts in creation, and worship your Heavenly Father.
Each word mirrors the heart of the hymns we’ve sung this Christmas season:
Stop: as “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” reminds us, we pause in anticipation, laying down our striving and waiting on the One who fulfills every longing.
Rest: as “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” proclaims, the incarnate God has come near. Because Jesus entered our world, we can enter His rest.
Delight: as “O Holy Night” calls us to fall on our knees before the newborn King, we rejoice in His presence and delight in His goodness.
Worship: as “Joy to the World” declares, the Lord has come! We lift our hearts in adoration and let our lives sing His praise.
When we Sabbath, we proclaim: “The Lord has come — let earth receive her King.” Our rest becomes worship. Our stillness becomes song.
If you’ve never practiced Sabbath before, it may seem daunting to set aside an entire day. Remember that you are where you are on the journey. Any movement toward abiding in Jesus through Sabbathing is good, no matter how small it seems. You may want to begin with an hour or two and then slowly work — but not work — your way toward an entire 24 hours. Many families find beginning and ending around sunset works best.
However long you spend, it’s necessary to make preparations for your time in Sabbath. What tasks, errands, or responsibilities might you need to schedule beforehand so that you’re free to stop and rest? It may be helpful to clean your house, do the laundry and dishes, and make or order all your meals ahead of time.
If God has gifted you with singleness during this season of your life, it can be helpful to find some other Jesus followers to practice Sabbath with. You can do it with your roommates or your community group. It may be a bit scary to ask, but there is likely a family who would love to experience Sabbath with you. It can be difficult to think this way, but you’ll be a blessing to them as much as they are to you.
You may want to make a list of things that bring life to you and the people you’ll Sabbath with. Do you enjoy playing games together? Taking walks? Sharing a special meal? As you begin to practice Sabbath, it can be helpful to save up the fun, restful, life-giving things for that day. This way Sabbath becomes something you all look forward to, rather than a burden.
Think about the distractions that might pop up and plan how to limit them. Many people find it vital to turn off their phones. If you’re going to do that, you may want to give people who “need” you a heads-up so they don’t worry and can make other arrangements. Stay away from social media if you can. Instead, be present to God and the people you’re resting with.
Your Sabbath may look a bit different from others. What “work” is to you may be life-giving to another person. In the same way, what is restful may vary from person to person. If you’re going to Sabbath in community, talk about what it looks like for you to practically stop, rest, delight, and worship. There may be some give and take. You might want to plan some times to be together and some time to be on your own, or you may want to play it by ear.
Think of the structures you develop around “stop, rest, delight, and worship” as guidelines rather than rules. As Jesus often pointed out, rules around the Sabbath can become burdensome. The Sabbath is a gift from God to you — not an arbitrary religious obligation you must perfectly adhere to. Give yourself lots of grace.
It can be helpful to find a tradition to begin your Sabbath. My wife began creatively calling this our “opening ceremonies,” and the name stuck. The idea is to, individually or together, intentionally mark the beginning of your time of rest by fixing your eyes on Jesus. There are a number of ways you can do this: pray, read a passage of Scripture, listen to a worship song, light a candle, all of the above, or something else altogether. Perhaps this year, begin your Sabbath with the simple refrain:
“O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord.”
Then stop, rest, delight, and worship.
Each time you Sabbath, journal about your experience. Make note of things that were especially Sabbath-esque (stop, rest, delight, worship). Write those things down and do them again. The Sabbath should be full — but not overly full — of things that bring you life. In the same way, keep a list of things that aren’t Sabbath-esque so you learn from your missteps.
End your Sabbath with intentionality as well. Once again, it can be beneficial to develop a traditional way of doing this over time. Eat a meal together. Pray. Thank God for whatever He did in and through you during your Sabbath before re-entering your other rhythms of life.
Remember that this is a learning journey that is designed by God for you to enjoy. Give yourself a long runway before you feel like you need to be a master of Sabbath flight. There will be a lot of trial and error. When you discover an “error,” it’s not a failure — it’s actually a success because you now know another thing that doesn’t bring you rest.
As you rest this Sabbath Sunday, may your heart echo the invitation of the saints who have sung for centuries:
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us;
let us find our rest in Thee.
As you enter a new year, here are a few simple practices and tools to help you keep growing with Jesus:
Sabbath Rest
Set aside regular time each week to stop, rest, delight, and worship. Even small steps toward Sabbath can reshape your pace and recenter your heart.
The Well Worn Narrow Path
Brady’s book is a helpful guide for building steady, daily rhythms of formation that keep you rooted in Jesus.
The Bible Recap
A clear and simple way to read through the Bible in a year with short explanations that help you understand the story of Scripture.
Mosaic Prayer Podcast
A companion for weekly prayer, offering guided reflection, Scripture, and space to be still with God.