{"product_id":"keeping-the-sabbath-wholly-ceasing-resting-embracing-feasting-9780802804570","title":"Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting","description":"\"But I don't\u003ci\u003e wanna\u003c\/i\u003e go to church \" Marva Dawn has often heard that cry--and not only from children. \"What a sad commentary it is on North American spirituality,\" she writes, \"that the delight of 'keeping the Sabbath day' has degenerated into the routine and drudgery--even the downright oppressiveness--of 'going to church.'\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e According to Dawn, the phrase \"going to church\" both reveals and promotes bad theology: it suggests that the church is a static place when in fact the church is the \u003ci\u003epeople of God\u003c\/i\u003e. The regular gathering together of God's people for worship is important--it enables them to\u003ci\u003e be church\u003c\/i\u003e in the world--but the act of worship is only a small part of observing the Sabbath. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This refreshing book invites the reader to experience the wholeness and joy that come from observing God's order for life--a rhythm of working six days and setting apart one day for rest, worship, festivity, and relationships. Dawn develops a four-part pattern for keeping the Sabbath: (1)\u003ci\u003eceasing\u003c\/i\u003e--not only from work but also from productivity, anxiety, worry, possessiveness, and so on; (2) \u003ci\u003eresting\u003c\/i\u003e-- of the body as well as the mind, emotions, and spirit--a wholistic rest; (3) \u003ci\u003eembracing\u003c\/i\u003e--deliberately taking hold of Christian values, of our calling in life, of the wholeness God offers us; (4) \u003ci\u003efeasting\u003c\/i\u003e--celebrating God and his goodness in individual and corporate worship as well as feasting with beauty, music, food, affection, and social interaction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Combining sound biblical theology and research into Jewish traditions with many practical suggestions, \u003ci\u003eKeeping the Sabbath Wholly\u003c\/i\u003e offers a healthy balance between head and heart: the book shows how theological insights can undergird daily life and practice, and it gives the reader both motivation and methods for \u003ci\u003eenjoying\u003c\/i\u003e a special holy day. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Dawn's work-- unpretentiously eloquent, refreshingly personal in tone, and rich with inspiring example--promotes the discipline of Sabbath-keeping not as a legalistic duty but as the way to freedom, delight, and joy. Christians and Jews, pastors and laypeople, individuals and small groups--all will benefit greatly from reading and discussing the book and putting its ideas into practice. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDawn, Marva J.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eMarva J. Dawn\u003c\/b\u003e (1948-2021) was a renowned theologian, author, musician, and educator. Her many books include \u003ci\u003eReaching Out without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time, A Royal Waste of Time: The Splendor of Worshiping God and Being Church for the World\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life for Those Who Serve God, the Church, and the World.\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50492064235794,"sku":"9780802804570","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b683231e-69af-4cea-ac1a-d4987c5f88e1.jpg?v=1730569280","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/keeping-the-sabbath-wholly-ceasing-resting-embracing-feasting-9780802804570","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}