John Mark Comer said it best: “If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.”
It happens subtly — a busy day turns into a busy week, then a busy month, and eventually, a busy life. We find ourselves hurrying from one responsibility to the next, becoming so familiar with busyness that we don’t realize we are burdened by it.
The busy way of life is the opposite of the life Jesus offers us. In Matthew 11:28-30, He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Another translation reads, “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
Throughout Scripture, no matter where he went or what he was doing, Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry. If we want to experience the life of Jesus, we have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus. He regularly withdrew from the crowd to spend time with the Father. And if Jesus needed rest, how much more do we?
Jesus invites us to step away with him for true rest; the kind that restores our souls and revitalizes the dry places. It fills our cup so we can operate from overflow, not emptiness. He offers us an easy yoke in exchange for the heaviness we’re carrying — all we have to do is accept the invitation to come to Him.
There are practical ways to incorporate the rhythm of rest in our lives. Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word shabbat, which means to stop. As we end the year at VOUS, we have standardized our systems of rest, one of these being Sabbath Sunday.
SABBATH SUNDAY
Falling on the final Sunday of the year, Sabbath Sunday is a moment for our church-wide community to intentionally rest and reflect on the year. Our in-person locations are closed as we gather for a special online service. Unlike the programming of a normal Sunday, this service highlights the key moments in the year as we celebrate all that God has done.
Our Creative, Production, and Film teams come together to produce, edit, and record the Sabbath Sunday experience. We follow a standardized flow for pre-production which includes:
- Set the timeline of key events we wish to highlight. We do this on an Excel sheet and have found that keeping a running list of events month by month as the year passes is easier than trying to remember all the events of the year when it comes time to record.
- Write a guiding script that our talent can follow. Oftentimes the conversation will lead to free-flow, but it helps to have a roadmap to bounce off of.
- Determine the location, set, and gear required. This is a collaboration between environments, film, and production. Sometimes we rent a studio to record, other times we use our location. Each set requires different furniture, lighting, and audio rentals.
- Capture and edit. Once the initial capture is complete the team works to craft the story. This is the most strategic and time-consuming step as we boil down 365 days into an approximately hour-long program for our community to watch.
- Release and promote. Once we’ve nailed down the final product it’s time to share! We make sure to communicate (1) the practical components of Sabbath Sunday — our locations will be closed and (2) the spiritual components of Sabbath Sunday — this is a biblical practice.
A core element of Sabbath Sunday is remembrance. This is a day that we thank God for what He has done. Our gratitude for the past produces our grit for the future. We find that ending the year in this heart posture prepares us to enter the next year from a perspective of gratitude.
Whether Sabbath is a part of your Church’s current end-of-year rhythm or you’re preparing to Sabbath with your community for the first time, we hope this overview helps you end the year in strength!
To check out last year’s Sabbath Sunday recording click here.
To view this year’s Sabbath Sunday recording visit the VOUS Church YouTube channel Sunday, December 31 at 10AM EST.
