the Rest of God

This book by Mark Buchanan is a deeply encouraging, highly insightful exploration of what we mean when we talk about 'Sabbath' - how in the scriptures it is of great significance in people's maintenance of their relationship with God, and therefore care of one's own soul. Personally I found it a challenging and simultaneously wonderfully encouraging book - as I think in myself I've recently got far too used to the notion of Sundaily churchgoing as just a thing, part of routine, and it all blends into normality a bit too much, and perhaps this is even happening in the culture of the wider church around me as I often find myself on these such Sundays concerned more with rota'd responsibilities than with throwing myself in awe at the feet of the sovereign God of the universe... who made the Sabbath, and also us, who defiled it. Stark. Every chapter has a thematic focus that would warrant a whole post in itself to unpack as there's so much richness to the joy and truth of what Sabbath is and means that I'm not even going to bother trying to list the themes,* you can have a scroll through the contents page on the Amazon preview if you really want but if reading liberating words about the reality of God's plans for human rest and flourish sounds like your kind of jam probably just read the whole book. It's that good. Probably one of the main Christian books I've read this year I'd recommend to all Christian readers, and even to non-believers - who may not get behind much of the theology but there is an abundant wellspring of wisdom here that can be applied to work and play and rules and reflections and so much in between - it's really good. Mark writes with everyday relatability, and it often feels more like reading the blogpost of a friend than an actual book of theology, as the humility and wisdom with which ideas are presented involves you in his journey of just resting with God - it never seems dry or essay-like. Also, every chapter is appended by a liturgical passage that helps process the learning points of the main text in ways that help bring it beyond academic ideas and deeper into worship, praise and rejoicing in the good ways of the Lord of the Sabbath - what more could you want?



* Okay, one chunk of insight affected me so much that I'll have to share it here - there are two distinct Greek words used for time in the New Testament texts. Chronos is the linear sort of time which has to be measured, rationed, managed carefully with the knowledge that it is a scarce resource that once lost cannot be regained. Kairos on the other hand is the gift-opportunity kind of time - to be inhabited, enjoyed; surely of course recognizing it is only for a season, but with a depth of purpose that fills and redeems the time spent. Mark drops this early on in the book and draws on the contrasting natures of time recurrently throughout, and for someone who'd never heard of this subtle-yet-poignant distinction, it was a mindblowing exhortation to both look at ways of better managing my own chronos while better living in kairos - as they're the same time, really, aren't they?