Remember the Sabbath day

Jan. 18, 2022

Dear friends,

This week, I am attending the virtual FORMA conference. FORMA is the Network of Christian Formation through the Episcopal Church. I feel excited to be amongst hundreds of Christian educators and disciples, even if our connection is through cyberspace.

One of the plenaries for this conference is called "Re-envisioning Sabbath." Keeping the Sabbath is huge in our spiritual lives: the Sabbath is a break from work and the things that pull us away from God. The Sabbath is an invitation to unwind and feel God's presence without pressure to be "productive." In fact, we're called to "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" in the Book of Exodus.

Sabbath-keeping is a challenging practice in a world which requires (often, demands) so much of us. Yet for this reason keeping the Sabbath is vital in maintaining a healthy connection with God. Here is a great article on the postures and practices of Sabbath-keeping from Sacred Ordinary Days.

This week, I invite you to take on a Sabbath practice. Discern your needs as an individual and as a member of a family. What do you need to feel rested? What does your family need? What days and times make the most sense to take breaks from certain things? For example, I observe the Sabbath on Fridays. This usually means stepping away from work and (non-essential) household duties in order to pray and meditate with God.

I look forward to hearing from other Christian educators with ideas on how I can continue to support faith formation in your home, especially Sabbath-keeping.

Be well.

Faithfully,

Anne Alexis