Gathering
Opening Prayer:
Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Begin with brief check-ins and the opening question below:
Opening Questions:
How has it been practicing the Sabbath?
Content Study
- Watch the video “Technology Shabbats” by Tiffany Shlain found at: vimeo.com/143808312
- Reflect on the video together. What do you notice?
Reading: Isaiah 58:13-14
“If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth.”
Reflection Questions
- The word of the Lord that came to Isaiah exhorts the people to not “trample the Sabbath by pursuing their own interests” but rather to “take delight in the Lord.” If the call to Sabbath is to experience rest, renewal, and delight, where do you think the distinction falls between pursuing our own interests and taking delight in the Lord? What might be the difference?
- Tiffany Shlain describes her desire to step back from technology as a result of her dad’s health declining and recognizing the importance of time. Studies on technology use in the US show the creep of constant connection resulting in multiple hours of use every day. Where might you see that technology creep in your own life?
- Shlain describes her family’s tech shabbat in this way: “No TV, no cell phones, or anything that pulls us away from being together.” Their focus is on relationships and not being distracted from them. What pulls you away or distracts you from relationships with others? How might you need to take a break from those things through an intentional sabbath practice?
- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel describes the Sabbath as a “palace in time.” He explains, “The seventh day is a mine where the spirit’s precious metal can be found with which to construct the palace in time, a dimension in which the human is at home with the divine.” What do you make of this, of the sabbath being a place where we can dwell with God?
- Shlain describes the importance of rituals in her life. We also have many rituals we implement in our weekly worship. What rituals could you bring to your Sabbath practice?
- What might it look like for you to incorporate a weekly tech break during your Sabbath practice?
Final Reflections
- What has captured your heart or your imagination in today’s discussion?
- How is your soul?
- Where have you seen God—or Love—recently?
Closing Prayer
Almighty and Eternal God, you sacrificially withdrew from a place within yourself in order to create the entirety of the cosmos so that you might be in relationship with us and all of creation. Help us to embrace zimzum discipleship and make space in our own lives, that we might more faithfully follow in the way of Jesus who gave of himself for the salvation and healing of the whole world. All this we ask in the name of the Risen Christ, who dwells endlessly with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
