How does our church do Congregational Sabbath?

Q: How does our church do Congregational Sabbath?

       There's no "right" way.  The whole point of congregational sabbath is to let God lead. Every church must stop long enough to step behind the Good Shepherd once again.

       A church in New York city stops every year for one month.  The doors are locked and the members of the congregation are encouraged to worship elsewhere. A church in Iowa did not to have committee meetings for an entire year. Instead, they had a bulletin board on which opportunities to serve and needs to be met were posted.  Our church suspended programs and altered ministries for a year. At the end of that year, we re-evaluated everything. Some ministries were not brought back. New ministries were started.

      Congregational sabbath helps us pray in a new way.  We are used to praying something like, "Lord, please bless the work of our hands."  All the planning has been done. The fundraising has started. The ground is broken.  "Lord, please bless the work of our hands."  It's an okay prayer.  It's biblical, even:

      "May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands." --Psalm 90:17

     It just shouldn't be our first prayer.  Our first prayer should be, "Lord, show us what You are doing here.  Give us eyes to see and a heart to do your will. Let your will be done." And then, after we have stopped long enough to see where the Lord is leading, "Lord bless the work of our hands."

Congregational Sabbath: Less doing. More being

Photo from www.sxc.hu 554419