Celebrating Sabbath: Accepting God’s Gift of Rest and Delight
By Carol M. Bechtel
Suggestions for Leaders by Laura Mariko Cheifetz
Welcome to the 2022–2023 Presbyterian Women/Horizons Bible study, Celebrating Sabbath: Accepting God’s Gift of Rest and Delight.
In the nine lessons of this Bible study—with passages from Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Matthew, Luke, and Acts—we’ll consider Sabbath
- as a celebration, not a day of dreary formality
- as God’s intent for all of creation that includes busy women too
- as one day of the week, perhaps a Sunday
- as a time to surrender unhealthy striving and frantic busyness, and instead trust that God will provide
- as a reminder that life is precious and working too much is against God’s plans for our precious lives
- as a day devoted to community and justice and not exclusively to self-care.
Ultimately, Sabbath reminds us to honor God who honors us by giving us a day each week to reset our pace, our priorities, and our lives.