Vakatekivu 2:3

“Our hearts are restless till they find their rest in Thee.” Never before have so many of us felt the restlessness Augustine described with this famous sentence. But what is the solution to our lack of true rest? As this three day plan will show, the solution partially lies in viewing the ancient practice of Sabbath through a different lens—through the lens of “Thee”—Jesus—our ultimate source of peace.

Most of us are overworked and utterly exhausted, so the concept of Sabbath could not be more important. To honor the Sabbath means to “keep it holy,” and holy simply means “set apart.” Our Sabbath should look different than the other six days of our week. In this Plan, we’ll discuss what it is, what it isn’t, how it looks today, and finding our true rest in Jesus.

Workaholism and constant busyness are often applauded in our world, and it can be a challenge to rest. In order to execute our roles and plans effectively, we must learn to rest or we will have nothing left to contribute to those we love and to the goals we’ve set. Let’s spend the next five days learning about rest and how we can incorporate what we've learned into our lives.

As New York pastor Rich Villodas defines it, a deeply formed life is a life marked by integration, intersection, intertwining, and interweaving, holding together multiple layers of spiritual formation. This kind of life calls us to be people who cultivate lives with God in prayer, move toward reconciliation, work for justice, have healthy inner lives, and see our bodies and sexuality as gifts to steward.