"The Sabbath is far more than a diversion; it is meant to be an encounter with God's delight," writes Dan Allender, a founder of Mars Hill Graduate School where he serves as President. In this third volume of the Ancient Practices Series, he presents a rounded and robust overview of this day of delight. There are three core premises explored on these pages:
• "The Sabbath is not merely a good idea; it is one of the Ten Commandments. Jesus did not abrogate, cancel or annul the idea of the Sabbath.
• "The Sabbath is a day of delight for humankind, animals, and the earth; it is not merely a pious day and it is not fundamentally a break, a day off, or a twenty-four hour vacation.
• "The Sabbath is a feast day that remembers our leisure in Eden and anticipates our play in the new heavens and earth with family, friends, and strangers for the sake of the glory of God."
We are used to thinking of the Sabbath as downtime or a period when we can chill out without any self-recrimination. Some people consider it as a time to refuel for the labors ahead in the work-a-day world. But Allender believes that the ancient art of Sabbath is practiced when we have a day of wonder, delight, and joy; or another way of putting it is "to have a play day with God and others."
Celebrating the Sabbath includes five elements which are outlined in successive chapters. In "Sensual Glory," Allender challenges to see this day as an opportunity "to experiment with beauty that teases your hunger to know more glory." Opening the senses in the presence of creation is one way to accomplish this. Abraham Heschel called the Sabbath "a sanctuary in time." Allender suggests that we receive, intend, and protect the day.
In a chapter on "Communal Feast," the author spells out the process of entering the joy of the Sabbath with an emphasis on beauty and communal togetherness. Another element of this day of delight is regenerative play in the fields of God. Allender delineates what this means as he probes Sabbath as re-creation of division as shalom, destitution as abundance, and despair as joy. These drive away worry, cynicism, conventionalism, and consumerism.
In the last three chapters, Allender offers ways to act out the Sabbath in ritual and symbols in order to sample peace, abundance, and joy; to open the heart to meditation and prayer as a part of silence; and to honor justice by celebrating repentance and delight in its fruit — freedom. He concludes:
"The Sabbath commands delight and will not allow futility, guilt, or pressure to trespass on its day. Action is never enough if defined as eradicating the problem. Action is always enough if it is faithful to the call of the moment. Sabbath action involves responding to the relentless invitation to celebrate the Father's generosity and to dance and sing at our welcome home. And who we will end up dancing with what songs we will end up learning and singing is a Sabbath mystery."
