Sabbath

by Dan B. Allender

To rest does not mean to cease all activity. Bestselling author Dan Allender presents an insightful and fascinating look at the origins and purpose of Sabbath. Serving as volume three in The Ancient Practices Series , Sabbath examines the key issues of this oft-misunderstood day of the week. This "day of delight," as instituted by God, has become a dirge for millions of believers. For many, it is simply a break from the busyness of the work week. So, what keeps us from properly understanding, sanctifying and celebrating this important day? Allender looks at not only the history of this discipline, going all the way back to ancient Israel, but also at the modern manifestations and misunderstandings of its practice. Allender bases his premise on the Hebrew word for rest, Menuha , which is best translated as joyous repose, tranquility, or delight. It is through this lens that he resurrects this lost definition of what it really means to rest.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Faith, Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality, Christian Living

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Dan B. Allender, Ph.D, is a fly fisherman who also serves as president and professor of counseling at Mars Hill Graduate School near Seattle, Washington. He is a therapist in private practice, and a frequent speaker and seminar leader. Dan received his M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Michigan State University. He is the author of To Be Told: Know Your Story / Shape Your Future, How Children Raise Parents, and The Healing Path, as well as The Wounded Heart, Bold Love, and Intimate Allies. He and his wife, Rebecca, are the parents of three children.

Reviews

[Rincey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book. I've never been good at taking a Sabbath and part of it is because I didn't really get what I "should" and "shouldn't" be doing during it. This book gave me a new and different way to think about Sabbath, how to do it and how to approach it. I'm still working on it but I do give myself more grace in this area now after reading this book and am better at recognizing potential things that do and do not refresh me.

Watch me talk about it in my July wrap up: https://youtu.be/MqHuX5rO0EA

[Drew Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book annoyed me at first. Then it surprised me. Then it changed me. It is a book about the practice of Sabbath. But in reality, it is a book about God’s heart for us. Words like delight, play, feasting, sensuality and rest haven’t been much a part of my experience of the Sabbath day, which means, they haven’t been a part of any other day either. Because, of course, if not on the Sabbath, then when?

Allender’s premise is, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Not a day off, but a day to intentionally and passionately pursue delighting in God and all his good gifts. Not a day to “vacate,” but a day we should approach pro-actively. “What would I do for a twenty-four-hour period of time if the only criteria was to pursue my deepest joy?” That is the question Allender sets out to answer. That was the part that annoyed me. It is a disorienting question. I have always viewed my struggle to Sabbath well as a fight with busyness, drivenness, and time. What if, instead, it is a fight against delight? What is my real problem is, as Allender contends, that I don’t know how to do joy? “It is nearly impossible to believe that God wants us to have a day of wonder, delight, and joy?” (pg 29)

I was hoping for practical help with Sabbath-keeping. There is very little (until the very last chapters). i understand why. The better part of the book is spent helping the reader overcome the spiritual vertigo brought on by the initial question. We just don’t approach God like that - as if what he wants most is our joy. It took me some time to shake off the disorientation. By the time I got to the “Sabbath Performance” section at the end, I was ready for some creative thinking about how to change my approach to the Sabbath day. I needed the category change more than the practical help. That was the surprise.

Though the book is light on suggestions, it is full of stories and examples of how Allender and his wife have sought to celebrate the Sabbath. With four kids still at home, most of it seems impractical. A fairy-tale dream for anyone other than empty-nesters. However, as I finished, I found myself dreaming about so many different ways I might lead my family in observing the Day, I finally had to get out a piece of paper and write them all down. In that way, I am hopeful for change. And grateful for the help.

[Haley Baumeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful re-framing of the Sabbath (still commanded for believers, whether we receive it in obedience or not)!

The anchor of the Sabbath is active delight, not passive reprieve. Planning for delicious enjoyment, not just dutifully taking a day off paid work to catch up on chores. We are more human with this rhythm of receiving the fullness of God's gifts - savoring with all our senses and our whole person.

This book also included some other aspects of Sabbath that I had not considered, touching on greed & how our delight intersects with the suffering and injustice of the world.

A compelling and life-giving book that draws you into God's vision of true rest and full living as creatures of a bountifully good God.

I would love to also read Abraham Joshua Heschel's "The Sabbath" (always comes up!), Norman Wirzba's "Living the Sabbath" (forward by Wendell Berry!), and John Mark Comer's "Garden City".

Additionally, Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline" and John Mark Comer's "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry" are other great ones on learning how to follow Jesus through the spiritual disciplines practiced by the church for ages - disciplines the modern world desperately needs. Jeff Bethke's "To Hell with the Hustle" also touches on it.

John Mark Comer's interview with Andy Crouch discussing Sabbath is *chef's kiss* incredible, as well.

The Bethkes as well as Now That We're A Family on YouTube have some great explainers on the whys and practicals of planning for a Sabbath *with young children* (something not discussed in this book, but an incredibly valid question many have.)

[Matt Hartzell · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5 stars)

Sabbath was the first book I have read from Dan Allender, and for me it was a somewhat frustrating read. Allender sets out to paint a much grander vision for the what the Sabbath is and means, but at the end of the book I feel more confused than when I started.

I've been told that Sabbath is somewhat dissimilar from Allender's other works, being less scholarly and more artful, less a lecture and more a literary feast. That can certainly be a valid approach, but in this case, I just found Allender to not be a very good writer. Filling the page with evocative language and abundant vocabulary doesn't automatically make for a good book. I often times found myself missing the through-line in Allender's thought process. I found myself re-reading sections many times over, trying to understand exactly what Allender was saying. At times his writing is vague and unclear. He also seems to assume the reader understands some of the context from which he writes, leading me to believe that perhaps he was mostly writing to an audience who is familiar with his previous work. For me, it made it difficult to understand his suppositions and conclusions, especially when he seemed to logically contradict himself sometimes in the span of a single page.

Allender's style in Sabbath also favors drawing lines in the sand, both between ideas and terminology. This is a popular approach in modern books from Christian authors, and it's something I'm growing more skeptical of as I age. The book that really set me on this path was Happiness by Randy Alcorn, which thoroughly eviscerated the churchy idea that joy is spiritual and happiness is worldly. Allender creates similar dichotomies here, such as between labor and work, stage plays and cinema, art that is beautiful or cookie cutter, and Sabbath activities that bring delight or a bastardization of the day. When these kinds of lines are drawn, I'm quick to wonder if these ideas carry historical validity or if they are rather personal opinions and preferences. It was very unclear to me in Sabbath if Allender was referring to time-tested ideas and approaches or if he was pontificating on things he personally thought were better. The book was very light on Biblical reference, unfortunately.

To its credit, Sabbath did woo me into a deeper and grander vision of what it means to experience the sabbath each week. It has caused me to start think a little more intentionally about the day. The problem is that I'm still pretty confused on how to implement Allender's ideas, because the book is so light on practical application. He offers many personal anecdotes about his own sabbath experiences, but they must be his best highlights. Many of his stories are highly grandiose and could not be done week in and week out. About halfway through, the thought struck me that this might be a book to read over the course of an entire year, taking a full month to ruminate on a single chapter with multiple weeks to explore what his ideas mean for you personally. If Allender is light on specifics, it could make sense that he intends the reader to spend significant time on personal discovery. I think this approach could potentially be much more beneficial for the average reader, to really incorporate and explore practical application in the context of your own life.

There are some notable concepts here that I will certainly need to think more on in the future. I can certainly applaud Allender's call to a sabbath that is full of real and true delight, that is reflective of God's lavish abundance, and that is free of the conflict, doubt, worry and busyness that engulfs us during the rest of the week. I agree with his assertion that our sabbath rests should be about far more than "don't do work", that they should actively and intentionally help us to fully embrace God's kingdom as it is and will one day be. I admit that I often struggle with this from my suburban American context, where life is lavish and idyllic compared so many other people in the world (the chapter on sabbath and justice was helpful here).

So there is a lot here to embrace. I just wish that I had spent more of my time really digesting the ideas presented, rather than having to wade through Allender's writing style, trying to understand his point while trying not to eyeroll too hard at some of his more dubious opinions. I'd be interested to try another book of his to see if his style is significantly different in other places.

[Sydney Shryock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this 4.5 stars if I could.
I loved this book! Although I definitely enjoyed the first half more than the second half, it was great as a whole. It really helped redefine how I define and think of my Sabbath, and what Sabbath is meant to symbolize/point to.

[Morgan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love any books on this topic - they begin to all say the similar things but how wonderful is a God who commands us to rest!!

[jerm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Dan Allender. I found him via The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, so I’ve only been on his train for a year or so, but what I’ve listened to of him, I’ve cherished.

This was the first book of his I’ve read. I have other, more well known books on my list, but this was the one closest to where I’m at in my walk with Abba. Sabbath has been an ever-growing intrigue and interest in my life, so when I found out Allender had written a whole book about it, I was all in based on my previous experience(s) of him.

I am perturbed/at odds/torn with this book. There is a lot of beautiful content and ideology here, and there were several moments where my excitement to pursue and understand the Sabbath grew exponentially.

However, I’m personally quite frustrated with Allender’s writing. I’ve read/skimmed a few other reviews, and I found myself understanding all the 2 and 3 star ratings. Allender is extremely wordy and wildly lofty much of the time. I can’t remember the last non-fiction book I read that required me to read, re-read, and re-read a paragraph or a page so many times, but I’m pretty sure it was a book from the early 20th century.

Normally, I’m perfectly fine with lofty or heady writing, but there’s one particular reason I’m especially frustrated with Allender’s writing here: the Sabbath is already a lofty idea for most people. Our generation is so devoid of any practical understanding of it, and it’s only in the last 5-10 years that theological and pastoral voices have been starting to speak into it and cause it to come into Christian vogue again. And yet, there is little to no practicality in this book, and Allender only adds to the reader’s awareness of that with unnecessarily poetic language.
I love a flowery and poetic writer most of the time, but I truly feel as though this is the last Christian topic one ought to employ such language on. While I feel inspired by the ~idea~ of Sabbath, I am little to nowhere closer to having a clear vision on how to practice it. And for that reason, this book suffered greatly in my esteem.


I still love Allender and plan to continue giving his voice weight in my life, and like I said, I have other books by him I want to read - books that he’s far better known for than this one. But this was a hard start to his literary works for me.

[M Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have listened to no other material that has stirred my heart more to dive into the delight that God offers us through Sabbath. This book is written beautifully, from the perspective of someone who can articulate the joy of Sabbath so much better than I can. HIGHLY recommend! This will probably be one in my arsenal of rereads for an indefinite amount of time.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️

I have mixed feelings about this book. I read it with my small group, so I wanted to see it through, but this was a tough book to get through. I love sabbath and conversations about it, but this book was rough.

It starts off, almost making it sound like sabbath is a chore and that we really have some kind of desire not to want to do it (which is both true but also not entirely—especially if you’re in faith and you’re wanting to connect with God and prioritize a day where you get to set it aside as holy for the Lord). The start through me off because it felt negative, and then as it progressed, I feel as though the author would talk about a bit, then use some scripture to emphasize what he was saying. I prefer when the scripture is presented and then the author writes about that scripture and then their own anecdotes, rather than vice versa (then it feels like the foundation is more so on scripture rather than the author’s personal experiences).

Nearing the end of the book, I was tempted to stop reading. It felt repetitive. Though repetition is great when you’re wanting to remember something, it was repetitive to the extent where I almost skimmed the text.

I think this could be a good book for those who are wanting to practice sabbath, but I more so recommend Garden City by John Mark Comer.

[Alix · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book certainly looks at Sabbath in a beautiful, poetic (albeit sometimes verbose) way. I’m walking away with a greater sense of invitation into weekly Sabbath rest.

Where it lacks, in my opinion, is in its practicality. At times I felt overwhelmed by the ideas of Sabbath the author presented—how in the world am I supposed to implement these things in every Sabbath (Sabbath as play, as justice, as holy, etc.)? To me, it made Sabbath feel far more unachievable than it actually is.

So overall, this book could be a helpful resource in a in-depth study of Sabbath, but it’s not where I would point people who want to learn what Sabbath can look like in their weekly rhythms. (Instead, I think of Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, or Earley’s The Common Rule).

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟 Average introduction to the practice of Sabbath. More poetic than practical.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I confess: I love Dan Allender. His unique voice, which combines biblical, mystical, and practical elements is a gift to me and the church. In Sabbath, Allender suggests that we enter into the profound gift that God has given us in Sabbath rest.

Allender suggests that the four pillars of Sabbath are sensual glory, holy time, communal feast, play day. He says that “The Sabbath is an invitation to enter delight. “It is the best day of the week.”
We are driven by fear, pride, and distraction. Trying to escape from these, our rest tends to involve us retreating from the busyness and anxiety of the world into entertainment and distraction, Sabbath offers a radical alternative to this cotton candy substitute. “The Sabbath is far more than a diversion; it is meant to be an encounter with God’s delight.” Allender explains, “Menuha is the Hebrew word for rest, but it is better translated as joyous repose, tranquility, or delight.”

Allender urges us to experience the gift of the world God has given us in neon colors on the Sabbath. He says, “What intrigues, amazes, tickles your fancy, delights your senses, and casts you into an entirely new and unlimited world is the raw material of Sabbath.” He tells us that this leads to worship. “Awe must propel us to gratitude.” He explains that, “Abundance is not about possession; it is utterly, completely, and solely about gratitude.”

“Sabbath has been called a ‘sanctuary in time,” Allender says. We try to break time, to steal time, but “[t]ime is to be submitted to, honored, and enjoyed.” Allender explains that, “Sabbath is not a break from work; it is a redefinition of how we work, why we work, and how we create freedom through our work.” Allender explains that, “We are not to work on the Sabbath because it takes us out of the play of joy. It is as bizarre as making love to your spouse, but getting out of bed during the process to cut your lawn or wash dishes. Such an offense would do far more than spoil the mood; it would be a direct assault on the integrity of joy, announcing that a mundane chore is more pleasurable than sexual joy with your spouse.”

In Sabbath, we experience God’s delight. God invites us to play with himself, to delight in him. “The Sabbath is intended to be the most sensual day of the week.” We have lost our ability to experience delight as God intends. Consumerism merely adds fuel to the fire of despair. In fact, “The only parameter that is to guide our Sabbath is delight. Will this be merely a break or a joy? Will this lead my heart to wonder or routine? Will I be more grateful or just happy that I got something done?”

Sabbath is an invitation to taste and see that the Lord is good. Allender says that our tastes can be transformed. “We must develop a taste for abundance on the Sabbath, or we will not be prepared for the glory that is ahead.” He continues, “The Sabbath is like every other gift—it requires practice and discipline to grow in delight.”

Allender reminds us that Sabbath witnesses to the freedom God us for. “All human beings are created to enjoy the freedom of the Sabbath.” He continues, “We are to free the slaves because we were once slaves. Sabbath is a remembrance of the stale bondage of Egypt and the fresh air of our new garden given to us because of the faithfulness of God's covenantal love, not due to our capacity to make God happy. Yet God is more than happy with us — he adores us and lavishes us with freedom and joy.”

I love this promise, “Jesus, the fullness of God and man, is the full perfection of humanity, and he calls us to a humanity that is full and alive, without flaw or fault.”

What a grace to have a wise guide like Allender invite us into the gift of Sabbath. I continue to learn and grow in my journey into the rhythms of Christ, Allender certainly helped me further along the path. I hope he can help you, too.

For more reviews see www.thebeehive.live.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really helpful in challenging me to expand my vision of what the Sabbath is supposed to be. This book and other teachings on the Sabbath have begun to challenge me that practicing the Sabbath and the outcome of doing so is one of the most radical ways to break the embodied lies we live in everyday (e.g. more work is always better). I did feel like the book was a bit meandering at times, while occasionally, I wished he had fleshed out concepts a little more, but still a good read in my opinion.

[Adam Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short review: If I had to pick one book to read on the Sabbath. This would be it. (Ok it is only book I have read on the Sabbath, but it was very good.) The central theme of the book is that Sabbath was not created for utilitarian purposes (we need the rest) but for delight. God did not rest on the seventh day because he was tired, but because he wanted to delight in his creation. At the same time, Allender does not at all minimize the Sabbath. He is quite up front in his question about why the fourth is the only commandment that Christians feel free to violate.

There is a long section in the middle that revolved around the purpose and use of play and why we need to make play the central part of our Sabbath.

This makes the 6th out of 8 book in the Ancient Practice Series I have read. It is far and away the best. The rest of the series is very mixed. But I highly recommend this one.

Full review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/sabbath-the-ancient-...

[Diana Barrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a christian response to my current hygge fad. I'm glad that I read it in that light because it's not necessarily a Bible study on the subject of Sabbath as there are few actual Scripture references, but the concepts and stories are there. This is a book that promotes many of the hygge concepts- without using the term-togetherness, quiet, comfort, contrast, home, food and environment. I gave this book to my dad along with a book on Danish hygge. He stated that he felt Allender is a bit snobby with his ideas of European vacations and 6 month sabbaticals. Although he does live in a whole other financial strata than I do, I find that his concepts can be incorporated in my life instead of just focusing on his fantastic experiences. Perhaps the only hygge concept that is missing IS simplicity? (I borrowed this from READS for the Kindle)

[Susan Kendrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were several good thoughts about the Sabbath in Dan’s book. However, I found his wording distracting and his practical suggestions (make a meal the night before but use all of your best linens and china on the Sabbath - is cooking food work then but hand washing all of the best dishes and flatware not?) not helpful. It felt inherently masculine, and not in a good way. To be honest, the Bible gives broad commands regarding what Sabbath rest looks like. One family’s way of observing this rest will look different from another’s, and I think there is Biblical room for that. In telling us what he believes observing the Sabbath looks like and how he and his family practice it, Dan paints a small picture that comes across as prescriptive rather than descriptive. I know he is a fine author and has written other good books, but this one fell flat for me.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but I really struggled with it. I listened to it as an audiobook on my daily commute and found the author’s narration really difficult- hardly any intonation or pauses which made it really hard to follow the train of thought.

There were some very thought provoking ideas and a few amusing anecdotes. I found it odd that he used an analogy about how bad smoking is but then said he smokes a pipe as part of his sabbath practice. Or maybe that was one of the times I lost the thread?

Overall this was a good book & gave me ideas to ponder as I begin to develop my own sabbath practice.

[Lesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Read 1/2. Was ok

[Braden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d like to note that I LOVED the first chapters of the book, hit a slump and stopped for a long time to read other stuff, and then finished it off in a day and did not enjoy the second half very much.

The first chapters are more practical, both in terms of vision and understanding of what the Sabbath is as well as ideas of potential applications to varied lifestyles. However, from the beginning, the author’s poetic tendencies made it harder to read. I’m just not really a person who thinks/lives on the spectrum of “wild and dangerous cascades of scrumptious delight flooding from God’s deepest heart” (not an actual quote, just the vibe of his writing). I think that this is written to speak about the Sabbath to a type of person more poetic, and I don’t think it’s wrong that I am not that.

That said, I’d HIGHLY recommend reading this book for the first few chapters. I just can’t give it more than 3 stars because of the last half.

[Blair Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sabbath doesn’t deny that death exists; instead, it celebrates life. It pretends that death has no power to contort or to disfigure love. It risks the foolishness of childlike faith to overcome the bully that seeks at every moment to ruin play and malign joy.”

A simple yet intrinsic definition of the Sabbath. Sabbath is not just something nice we’re told to do in Sunday School, it is part of being human. It was built into us and we need it more than we know. To delight in the joy of play with the Father is really hard to wrap my head around and yet I leave this book feeling a bit changed. He loves me so much that he commands me to live in childlike joy for one blissful recollective day, the Sabbath. As Allender said, “How odd; how kind.”

[Lucas Shryock · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there was an option to rate books at 3.5 stars, that is where my honest rating would be. This was a good book. I liked how Allender emphasized the importance of Sabbath and how it is very foreign in most people’s weekly rhythms. I think this book would’ve been better if it was a pocket book, maybe around 90 or so pages. I felt like the last third of the book was repeated information. Some solid bits I will definitely take from this book. Maybe I’ll return to it if I have an opportunity to take an extended sabbatical sometime in my life.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a helpful book. I especially enjoyed the first five practical chapters, and I found the six abstract (almost dreamy) chapters a bit harder.

"The Sabbath is an invitation to enter delight. The Sabbath, when experienced as God intended, is the best day of our lives" (4).

"A commandment is often assumed merely to be a prohibition. Such thinking is idiocy.... Many who take the Sabbath seriously and intentionally ruin it with legislation and worrisome fences that protect the Sabbath but destroy its delight" (7).

"What would I do for a twenty-four-hour period of time if the only criteria was to pursue my deepest joy?" (11)

Delight. Rest. Play. Worship. The four main pillars of the Sabbath.

[Candy Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn’t quite what the title says. It says sabbath, the ancient practice series. In substance it says very little about the sabbath, and nothing about ancient practices. It’s a collection of his thoughts about life, reflections really. Some about the reflections are about sabbath in the context of life but he rarely gives any true notion of how the sabbath is different than a regular day. The playful and grateful attitude he describes is something for everyday, not sabbath. He is talented and the thoughts poetic but this is not what I wanted to buy. A better title would be “Reflections: thoughts on life, Sabbath, and love.” That would had been more appropriate. I gave it a three because he does have some talent, even if this book had no real substance.

[Brielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is in my top 3 reads this year so far, and the best book I’ve ever read on the heart of Sabbath.

I love these lines: “Sabbath action involves responding to the relentless invitation to celebrate the Father’s generosity and to dance and sing at our welcome home. And who we will end up dancing with and what songs we will end up learning and singing is a Sabbath mystery.”

[Jack W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for folks who feel the Sabbath a burden, in that it gives many fun and interesting ideas for how to keep the Sabbath, though it suffers from Emergent Church nonsense about how the Sabbath is not (fill in the blank with a straw man) but instead (fill in the blank with lots of rhetoric that sounds inspiring in 2008). It seems the David Platt "Radical" and the emergent church movement has more in common than first met the eye, which is perhaps why each has lost so much momentum this side of 2020. I'd read alongside some more orthodox books on the subject, but it's definitely full of good discussion starters and notes, if taken for what it is.

[Graeme Lauber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent summary of the purpose of Sabbath and a reminder to delight in the presence of God. The book tends to free sabbath from a set of rules or prescriptions of technique, which is nice. Prose is occasionally somewhat purple.

[Matthew Rosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020.09.03.11.16

[Corinne Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️

This book reads highly academic, and it took me quite a bit to work through, but there's so many nuggets of goodness in this.

[Amanda Fitzpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. I really enjoyed Allender’s vision of and ideas about Sabbath in some places; others seemed more of a stretch.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book on the Sabbath. I read it as a companion to the Sabbath series by Practicing the Way. Would highly recommend both!