"Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest" (Ruth Haley Barton)

TITLE: Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again
AUTHOR: Ruth Haley Barton
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2022, (264 pages).
 

Anxious. Busy. Exhausted. Fatigued. Stressed. These are typical of a modern lifestyle almost everywhere we go. In many societies, work has become less of a blessing and more of a chore. As people continue to complain about incomes not keeping up with inflation rates, the work somehow continues to pile up. Some people claim that they need more than 24 hours a day and 8 days a week just to get everything done. Sometimes, that sentiment meant turning a weekend into an extended weekday, only to compound the level of exhaustion and stress. The Bible has laid out for us a pattern of work and rest. In Genesis, we learn that God created the world in six days and intentionally rested on the seventh. He also gave Israel the Ten Commandments, with the Fourth Commandment firmly about taking a sabbatical rest one day every week. It is not a suggestion. It is a clear commandment. As we become more liberal in our interpretation of the ancient laws, we often overlook these commandments in favour of convenience. As author and retreat leader Ruth Haley Barton says, we all need a wake-up call to let the Sabbath remain an essential part of all our lives. One of the best ways is to incorporate a routine, a regular system, or as author Ruth Haly Barton puts it, a rhythm of work and rest. Right from the beginning, she highlights the challenges of modern busyness affecting our way of life using her own life as an example. Confessing that it was the sabbath that saved her sanity, she puts forth several fundamental principles of sabbath keeping before giving us an outline of how to embrace the work-rest rhythm. The three principles are:

1. The Sabbath is God's intention
2. The Sabbath is important for life
3. The Sabbath is very both communal and personal

Barton identifies some hurdles with regard to the practice of the Sabbath in the lives of Christians. Some dismiss it as a mere "Jewish" thing that is not relevant to believers. Others just could not wrap around the need to take an intentional sabbath, especially in a culture of efficiency and production. Most, however, lack a deeper understanding of the meaning of Shabbat. In fact, the principle of the Sabbath can be applied right across the board of life. Using multiple spiritual writers who have raised the clarion call for sabbath keeping, Barton shares many quotable quips to help us appreciate the importance of the Sabbath. Some helpful thoughts are:

• Sabbath is a form of resistance. Resist the enslavement or violence done to our inner souls.
• Sabbath is not the same as "solitude and silence." 
• Sabbath is intentional unplugging of ourselves from the world
• Sabbath is liberation to be grateful, neighbourly, and delight
• Sabbath frees us to enjoy being part of a community

Apart from the regular rest day each week, the principle can be applied to spiritual transformative pauses. Even the use of our smartphones needs to be placed under the umbrella of the sabbath rhythm. Barton then raises the bar to show us that sabbath rhythms alone are not enough. She gives us four whole chapters on the topic of sabbaticals. She writes about planning. She acknowledges the unique challenges of pastoral ministry and urges sabbaticals as a way to deal with the rising levels of exhaustion. Even those who have been board members for many years or regularly serving would need periods of rest. Thus, sabbaticals are not just for pastors or full-time staff. They are also relevant for anyone who has been serving, often non-stop. 

My Thoughts

We all need a break. For some, we need a long Sabbath. For most of us, we need a rhythm of work and rest to run the journey of life. We need sabbaticals. In many instances, we need extended time to be free from the regular intensity of work in our respective careers or calling. Sabbaticals are not vacation time. They are essentially spiritual spaces intentionally created to allow one to take stock of life and of one's calling. I fully concur with Barton's section on sabbaticals. I believe that is one key area of any ministry many churches lack. In fact, some leaders would even flash the virtue of God's work to justify non-sabbaticals. That really comes from a flawed understanding of what God's ministry is all about. For in the Church or any Christian community, there is no one who is indispensable. Some churches have gotten themselves into a pit when their senior pastors are no longer with them. 

This book sets the stage for anyone to start taking the Sabbath more seriously and intentionally. As per Barton's confession, she states that if not for the Sabbath, she might not be alive today! The Japanese have a word for overwork: karoshi. Though that refers to physical death, it is entirely possible that without adequate rest, parts of us are in the process of dying. This sabbath is a wake-up call to help us understand the limits that we need to respect. With powerful explanations and exercises for the soul to pray and ask God, this book gives us many ideas and thoughts to enable us to plan and practice sabbath and sabbaticals. For those who are at the point of exhaustion, this book might be a form of saving grace. For those who think they have it made and that they don't need a break, perhaps, the message is to pause and reconsider our stance. Whatever it is, don't wait until our bodies and systems break down before we practice sabbath. Let the book refresh our understanding and inform our spiritual curriculum.

Ruth Haley Barton is founder of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors and Christian leaders, and the congregations and organizations they serve. A seasoned spiritual director (Shalem Institute), Ruth holds a doctor of divinity from Northern Seminary along with her studies at the Loyola University Chicago Institute for Pastoral Studies.  She is a sought-after speaker and preacher, having served on the pastoral staffs of several churches and also teaching frequently at the graduate level. Ruth's books include Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Life Together in Christ, Sacred Rhythms, Pursuing God’s Will Together, Invitation to Retreat, and Invitation to Solitude and Silence. She shares perspectives on transforming leadership through her Beyond Words blog and her Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast.

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.