Gospel Chapel GF

Sabbath (Part 4): Worship

In this final message on Sabbath, we focus on Psalm 92. More than Sabbath practice, we learn that to rest in God is to trust Him as our Creator and Redeemer. He is the Creator, therefore, only He is uniquely qualified to be the judge of our hearts and lives. He is our Redeemer - taking the initiative to rescue and restore us to relationship with Him. Sabbath reminds us of both of these realities, which are embedded in the purpose statements in the Ten Commandments.
To learn more about Sabbath, check out the following resources:
Practicing the Way
The Desperately Needed Day
Sabbath Series Summary (along with our weekly bulletin for February 26, 2023)

Sabbath (Part 3): Delight

In this episode, we look at Isaiah 58 and the invitation to make the Sabbath our delight, to embrace joy in what God has and continues to do for us as His people.
In Isaiah 58, the people first "delight" to fast and do a lot of religious things. These "delights" are shown to be self-centred and self-promoting. Isaiah then points people to what it would really mean to delight in fasting - to help others and stand up for the oppressed. Which is really where Sabbath should lead us.
The command to keep the Sabbath, in Deuteronomy 5, is related to the freedom the people of God experienced when God worked for their emancipation from slavery in Egypt. The practice of Sabbath was instituted so the the people of Israel would not resort to an extractive and exploitive economic power. Their social structures would look very different from the world around them. Sabbath, a weekly rhythm of rest from all work, would remind them of the freedom they enjoyed and the freedom they are to extend to others.

Sabbath (Part 2)

The Practice of Sabbath is integral to our five year vision at Gospel Chapel - it's literally in the Vision Statement.
Work, Rest, and the Lord's Day is Article 16 of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith, it's a key tenet of our faith as a community following Jesus.
But it is also something that we must practice with freedom from legalism and pride.
In this episode we tackle these three elements of Sabbath, and conclude with 4 Practice Experiments.

Sabbath (part 1)

The vision of Gospel Chapel for the next five years of ministry centres on the pursuit of Spiritual Formation, that results in God-centred living, heart-level faith, and relational authenticity with God and others. To realize this vision we need practices - the stuff we do in life - that can shape us inside and out.
Our five year vision specifically identifies the practice of Sabbath, and so we are beginning 2023 with this practice. We will be spending the month of February building a biblical theology of Sabbath and how then to engage in the practice of Sabbath. We want to guard against legalism and license in this, recognizing that the New Testament does not command Sabbath, but neither does it nullify the practice. In regard to the ongoing practice of Sabbath in the early church, the New Testament is not entirely clear.
For some great resources on the Practice of Sabbath, check out https://www.practicingtheway.org/sabbath 

An Anchor for the Soul (Psalm 118:1-9; Hebrews 6:13-20)

The Temple Restored (Ezra5-6)

A People Cleansed (Zechariah 13:1-4; 14:1-11)

A People Returned (Ezra 1)

As we start 2023, God may be calling you to renew, renovate, or rebuild some aspect of your life. What might that be? It's always a challenge to do renovations or to recover from a disaster. How does God work in people's lives to accomplish His rebuilding purposes?
Today we're looking at Ezra 1, and seeing that God moves in the heart of a king and a people to rebuild the Temple that was destroyed decades earlier. The people whom God moved to go from Babylon to Jerusalem would be returning to a city destroyed and to homes of rubble. Their calling was not to a place of abundance, but to a place of desolation. And from that desolation they were to rebuild a place of God-centred worship.
Sometimes that how God works. He calls us to face our desolation before we can experience wholeness and healing. He calls us to a renovation project that requires facing the reality of our brokenness so that we can learn to trust Him with our hurts and our healing.