Stop
Week 1
God established the Sabbath by resting on the seventh day, giving His people a pattern of setting aside twenty-four hours for rest. In a hurried world, the Sabbath reminds us of our limits, restores us, and reorients us toward God and the purpose for which we live.
Learn more about practicing the liturgy.
Leader prays. Group Prays.
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Let us share in the joys and sorrows of one another's life.
What has been the highlight of your week?
What has been the low of your week? -
Let’s prepare our hearts in worship.
Only the hungry search for bread. Only the thirsty look for water. This is a place for those who are hungry and thirsty in spirit.
Only those who ache for meaning will pursue it. Only those who yearn for a deeper life will seek it.
This is a place for those who ache and yearn for something more. So let us come here today with our hunger and thirst, our unsatisfied longings, our heartfelt yearnings, and let the God of life satisfy our souls.
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We will take a moment in quiet to reflect on our actions this past week. Then, together, we will confess and be reminded that we are the forgiven community.
Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart; We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name.
Amen.
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Let us hear the word of the Lord from the Psalms.
It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!
Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish,they will be destroyed forever.
But you, Lord, are forever exalted. For surely your enemies, Lord, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me. My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
– Psalm 92 (NIV) -
Let us affirm our faith with the words of the Apostles’ Creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day, he rose again.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the global Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen. -
An introduction to the sabbath.
When God created the world, he worked for six days and on the seventh day he rested, not because he needed it, but because He was establishing a pattern for us, His creations, to follow. Thus, the Sabbath is a twenty-four-hour period where God's people rest.
In a world of hurry and busy schedules, the Sabbath is a weekly reminder that we are finite, that we are called to live differently than the world around us, and that ultimately God works with us and on our behalf. It is a day on which we are restored and recuperate, when we remember what life is about and whom we live for.
This week, we consider what it means to stop work and pause busyness as an imitation of God’s actions at creation.
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Let us open the scriptures and learn the story of Christ.
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."
– Genesis 1:29-2:3 -
Let’s take a moment to talk through what we have heard, reflecting on what it is saying to us.
What can we learn about this week's practice through this passage?
What things can you take out of your schedule to make this practice a part of your life?
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Let us consider how to follow Jesus in our everyday lives.
This week, set aside however amount of time you can to stop and rest. It is best to start where you are at, so if it's one hour or 6 hours or a whole day (sundown to sundown), then do what you can.
Throughout this time, try to avoid working, running errands, and general busyness.
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At this time, if you have a prayer request, we’ll hear those and conclude with the Lord’s prayer. What would you like to lift up in prayer?
As our Savior taught us, so we pray;
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Amen. -
Let us confess the Mystery of our Faith.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again. -
May we go from this place prepared to reveal the Kingdom of Jesus, together.
Living God, draw us deeper into your love;
Jesus our Lord, send us to care and serve;
Holy Spirit, make us heralds of good news.Stir us, strengthen us,
teach and inspire us to live your love
with generosity and joy, imagination and courage;
for the sake of your world and in the name of Jesus,Amen.
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