A Workaholic’s Guide to Sabbath

I’ve always had a love/ignore relationship with the Sabbath. Graduating into the 2008 recession, London was closed to us, and without ChatGPT to guide us towards a brighter future, we ended up working in Salisbury, a sleepy medieval cathedral town. I soon got used to being labelled a workaholic. It wasn’t unfair - I really do enjoy my work, and I spent every waking minute scheming how to make money out of my limited resources. But when we eventually moved back to London, I discovered the city loves a workaholic. And no-one here called me that anymore.

The OG Sabbath was a command, part of the law. As the Israelites left Egypt for the promised land, it foreshadowed the rest that God’s people would ultimately truly find in Jesus. Now we’re on the other side of the resurrection, we see it through a new lens - a gift that helps us to restfully resist the seductions of work: worship of money, ego, and taking the time we are given for granted.

There’s no requirement, obligation or rule to follow here, but it’s an opportunity to untangle from the world once a week. So here’s a few practical thoughts from one over-worker who’s always struggled to Sabbath, just like you.


Be intentional.

Prep: In the classic Sabbath you weren’t supposed to leave the house, build a fire, or cause anyone else to work. If you wanted to eat or stay warm, you’d have to think ahead. These are good principles for today. Resist Deliveroo and order ingredients to cook up a feast ahead of time. Mark the start of the Sabbath with a slow evening walk or a glass of wine. Shout “Shabbat Shalom” at your neighbour for bonus points.

Be mindful: Pro tip - rest isn’t actually achieved by switching your mind off. Binging and doomscrolling isn’t restorative. But cramming your Sabbath full of activities won’t work either. So, at the risk of this Grace Londoner sounding a little Buddhist, there truly is a benefit to only doing one thing at a time. Eating? Just eat. Thinking? Just think. Reading? Just read. Don’t ask Chat for advice, don’t Google unknown vocab. In the 21st century, it’s surprisingly hard to do just one thing, but the Sabbath is a good time to try.

Keep at it: Couples often have regular date nights. Sabbath is a bit like a date with God (stick with me…) A marriage won’t necessarily fall apart without a weekly date night. But you’ll find the relationship a whole lot more enjoyable if you don’t only hang out while ironing your pants.


Look up.

Practice saying no: Sabbath rest is partly about resisting the urge to please people, and seeking to please God instead. Becoming unavailable for even a few hours might feel unpleasant or even risky - what if you miss an important email? What if your boss needs you? What if you miss out on an impromptu trip to the Thirsty Bear? But whose opinion really matters? Just as regular tithing loosens the grip of money on your heart, the Sabbath loosens the grip of performative work and people-pleasing; whether it’s your boss, your parents, or your mates.

Reconnect with God: [Insert obligatory super-holy-Bible-quiet-time point] - just kidding - but remembering God and spending time with him is a Biblically approved route to rest, as Psalm 19 says: ‘The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.’

Remember it’s a gift: The way you receive something changes your attitude to it. Jesus tells us that the Sabbath is “made for man” (Mark 2.27). It’s for our benefit, so trust God’s creative judgement and see what happens.


Have fun.

Hobbies: That hobby you love - the one you’ve enjoyed since childhood? Did you know you don’t have to turn it into a side hustle? In fact - did you know you’re allowed to enjoy it without anyone giving you validation at all? Sabbath is a great time to put the gifts that God has put in you into action - simply for the joy of it.

Look for beauty: Spending the Sabbath seeking out beauty is one way to ensure you lift your eyes from the graft and remember that you’re not a machine, but a created, living being, inhabiting an amazing world. This could be finding time in nature, or taking a trip to the British Museum.

Nap: Finally - sleep is God’s way of reminding us that we’re finite. As an overachieving Londoner you probably don’t sleep enough, ever. So go on, take a nap - you have my permission.

This article was taken from our termly Family Newsletter, posted to all our members. If you'd like to become a member of Grace London, please attend our upcoming DNA Sessions.

These articles are written without the use of generative AI.

The Secret of Contentment

What is the secret to contentment? Last Saturday, our women’s Bible study explored this question as we studied Philippians 4. The Apostle Paul, writing from prison, concluded his letter to the Philippian church with these words:
 

“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4.11-13).

Paul learned the secret of being content in every situation. He wasn’t battered around by the winds of circumstances. Instead, he anchored his heart on soul-steadying truths that carried him through the deepest sorrows and sweetest pleasures of life. In The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs describes this contentment as a “sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”

With that description in mind, how does Paul encourage us to pursue contentment, even if it feels elusive? Sometimes, searching for contentment can feel like chasing the Golden Snitch in Harry Potter’s Quidditch matches—that tiny, winged ball that is extremely difficult to catch. Yet, Paul learned contentment, which means there is hope that we can learn it too.

In Philippians, Paul teaches that contentment involves:

Resting in God’s sovereign plan, even when we don’t know the details. “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1.6). God is in absolute control of the unfolding story of our lives, and he is always at work for our good.

Trusting that the hardships we endure are not meaningless. “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1.12). Paul rejoiced that the pain of his imprisonment had a God-glorifying purpose. While we may not know the reasons for the hardships we endure, we can entrust every sorrow into the hands of our heavenly Father, who promises to be with us always (Philippians 4:9).

Living as a sojourner. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour” (Philippians 3.20). The discontented heart is short-sighted in its pursuit of pleasure, living as if this life is all there is. Paul reminds us that we are travellers in this world and that we are to fix our eyes on the incomparable joy of our eternal home.

Treasuring Christ as our all-satisfying strength. “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3.8). We often attach our contentment to our circumstances, thinking that if things only get better, we’ll be happy. Yet, the secret that Paul reveals is that we will never be truly content apart from Christ. He is the source and strength of the contented heart.

These articles are 100% man-made, without the use of generative AI.

This Is Why We Feast

It is a surprising fact that the law of God commands his people to feast. 

It is surprising for at least two reasons. First, because it was a great expense, involving lavish and time-consuming festivities that must have felt indulgent and unnecessary for the more frugal types. Second, because we often think of the Old Testament law as negative – don’t do this; don’t do that – but feasting was emphatically positive. It was mandatory fun. Get your best meat and your best wine, and have a party. And sometimes it lasted for days on end.

Yet, the Old Testament prescribes six feasts for the people of God. This meant that feasting was one of the major expenses for a faithful family in the course of the year, alongside tithing to the temple, and giving to the poor. 

Why was feasting so prominent and so important? There are three compelling reasons for feasting as part of a rich spirituality in the Scriptures.

First, it was about the spiritual discipline of remembering. It was a way of looking back at the goodness of God. The feasts were tied up with extraordinary moments in the history of God’s people (like the Passover feast remembering the Exodus from Egypt), or a recognition of God’s ongoing goodness to date (as in the Feast of Firstfruits, marking the harvest). The beginning of soul-rot always stemmed from forgetfulness and the absence of gratitude, when the hearts of God’s people were disconnected from the story of God’s goodness in their own lives, and over many generations. The same is true today: if we forget, we die a spiritual death. But feasting was a way of deliberately remembering God’s great acts and his faithfulness, retelling the stories from one generation to the next.

Second, it was about enjoying God’s goodness in the present. A feast was a moment when you had permission to pause from ordinary life, then to taste and savour the goodness of God right now. They were not just saying, God was good to us back then. And they were not hoping for some vague future moment when they could finally rest and enjoy life. But instead, they were tasting his goodness in the very moment that they could smell the roasting joint, and bite into the lamb, and sip the rich wine. Failure to receive the ordinary gifts of life as evidences of God’s goodness is one of our most basic problems and a cause of so much trouble in our lives. But one of the God-given remedies is to embrace feasting, when he gives you full permission to eat until you burst.

Third, it was about looking forward to the promise of a heavenly feast. A celebration here is a mere echo and foretaste of heaven, when our hearts will find rest and happiness in the presence of God. If you want to know what heaven is like, one answer is this: think about the best celebrations and feasts you’ve ever experienced.

Easter is a perfect moment to feast. Whilst the Bible never mandates an Easter feast – no doubt because every Sunday is a celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord – it makes perfect sense to go to some extra effort and expense at this time of year. By doing so, you are looking back and remembering the moment that changed history and changed you. And you’re enjoying the goodness of God right now, since you’re part of his family through the cross. And you’re fixing your hope on a future for all God’s people at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Therefore, go and feast to the glory of God.

These articles are 100% man-made, without the use of generative AI.

Enjoying God

I’d like to do a series of emails on different aspects of your walk with God, including some spiritual disciplines.  

I’d like to start the series with one of the most important aspects of the Christian life: Enjoying God! 

It sounds obvious to some of you, but, in my pastoral work, I meet so many Christians, where the main need in their life is to deepen their personal relationship with Christ before they even think about impacting their colleagues for Christ, or serving the church, or pursuing grand plans to change the world! Whilst all these things are good, they cannot come at the expense of our communion with God. It is a wonderful gift, perhaps the greatest gift of our lives, which we often neglect to our peril. 

I’m convinced that much of the Christian life comes down to the active pursuit of genuine joy in your relationship with Christ. John Calvin put it like this: 

“It will not suffice simply to hold that there is one whom all ought to honour and adore, unless we are persuaded that he is the fountain of every good…Nay, unless they [all men] establish their complete happiness in him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to him”

The implication of Calvin’s encouragement here is simple. The way to grow your obedience muscle is simply to grow in your love for and joy in Christ. We are wired to fixate on the things that bring us joy. Only when God is the greatest source of joy in our lives will we return to him repeatedly, seeking the deep and rich satisfaction that comes from delighting in his incredible love and reflecting on his awe-inducing holiness. And only when we do that, will we feel a genuine desire to submit to his ways in every part of our lives. 

This is, of course, not to diminish the everyday joys of life – the little gifts along the way. Rich friendships. Beautiful walks. Sumptuous cooking. In fact, when we respond with thanksgiving in our hearts, these ‘earthly pleasures’ become part of our enjoyment of God, the ultimate giver of these gifts. 

However, there’s nothing like the pleasure that comes from reflecting on his promises, and experiencing, by the Spirit, a sense of the Father’s delight in you, because of your adoption in Christ. In a sense, joy is not the main goal here. It’s merely a byproduct of experiencing deep communion. 

Our expectations in this area are often much too small. The encouragement to engage in the spiritual discipline of reading your bible and praying doesn’t quite do justice to the relational reality of speaking and listening to Christ. Step back and consider what an incredible privilege it is to spend time with the living God.

Are we ignoring the delight and strength that God wants to impart to us as his children?