September 12, 2025
- credford5
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Are you enjoying the good gifts that God’s offering you?
About a month ago, I had the opportunity to preach on the rhythm of Sabbath at our Ross campus. I don’t want to retell the whole message here, but I do want to give you a couple of reminders and some additional resources that might help you.
If you missed the message, you can watch it here: Sabbath Sermon.
Here’s a helpful Sabbath Guide.
Six years ago, I read a book that changed the way I think about this practice: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. It’s based on Dallas Willard’s famous challenge: “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.”
The practice of Sabbath is God’s antidote to hurry. It’s a way to resist the frantic pace of life and step into a weekly rhythm of rest and celebration. It’s the offer to have a Holiday or Holy Day once a week.
And our culture isn’t slowing down. If anything, it’s speeding up. Technology—specifically AI—is reshaping how we work, learn, and even communicate. While some of these tools can be helpful, they often add to the weight of our daily lives. More emails. More reports. More expectations.
The truth is, no matter how efficient we become, our souls still grow weary. Even good things in excess can become tiring. That’s why Jesus’ words in Matthew 11 are so timely:
“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.” — Matthew 11:28–30 (NIV)
Jesus knows that we are or can become weary and burdened. We have a knack for taking even good things and complicating them or making them bad things. That’s why we see Jesus reminding us who the Sabbath is for.
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” — Mark 2:27
And in Matthew 12, He disrupts the Pharisees’ rules about the Sabbath by feeding His disciples and healing the sick. His point is clear: Sabbath isn’t a burden or another law to follow. It’s a gift. The Sabbath is a regular, intentional time set apart for stopping, resting, delighting, and worshiping.
So how do we begin practicing Sabbath? Start small. Maybe light a candle to mark the start of your Sabbath time. Maybe turn off your phone for a few hours or 24. Maybe share a meal that feels different from the rest of the week.
The key isn’t doing Sabbath “perfectly.” It’s choosing one step this week to stop, rest, and remember that God is the one who sustains you.
The Sabbath is God’s good gift to you—not something He adds to your already full plate, but His way of making you whole. It’s His invitation to rest in Him.
And because Sabbath should include joy and delight, here’s one of our family favorites: a chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Sometimes the most ordinary gifts become reminders of God’s extraordinary goodness.
For the King & His Kingdom,
Kyle
Kyle Cannon
Communications Pastor