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Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight
Sabbath is one day a week when we should rest from our otherwise harried lives, right? In Living the Sabbath , Norman Wirzba leads us to a much more holistic and rewarding understanding of Sabbath-keeping. Wirzba shows how Sabbath is ultimately about delight in the goodness that God has made--in everything we do, every day of the week. With practical examples, Wirzba unpacks what that means for our daily lives at work, in our homes, in our economies, in school, in our treatment of creation, and in church. This book will appeal to clergy and laypeople alike and to all who are seeking ways to discover the transformative power of Sabbath in their lives today.
176 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2006
48 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
Norman Wirzba
32 books94 followersNorman Wirzba is Professor of Theology and Ecology at Duke University Divinity School and a pioneer of scholarly work on religion, philosophy, ecology, and agrarianism. He is also the author of Food and Faith, Living the Sabbath, The Paradise of God, and From Nature to Creation. He lives near Hillsborough, North Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 12, 2015
I don't usually read theology books at all, so this was a stretch for me, but I am really glad I tried it.
The first couple of chapters where he focuses on the theology of the sabbath were wonderful. It really made me think about how we do orient our lives around busyness and work, rather than sabbath rest, which is not keeping the sabbath commandment. And the general thinking about how sabbath connects us to the rest of creation and caring for creation - that was great. Lots of good stuff to think about.
From there, the book kind of petered out. It got vague and kind of crotchety (he is the editor for Wendell Berry's books so... you can just picture that) with big generalizations like "All computer technologies promote arrogance." Um... you know what else promotes arrogance? Thinking you're too good to use computer technologies. So, those sections were weaker.
But the first half was like life-changing and definitely worth reading, and for a work of theology it was quite readable!
The first couple of chapters where he focuses on the theology of the sabbath were wonderful. It really made me think about how we do orient our lives around busyness and work, rather than sabbath rest, which is not keeping the sabbath commandment. And the general thinking about how sabbath connects us to the rest of creation and caring for creation - that was great. Lots of good stuff to think about.
From there, the book kind of petered out. It got vague and kind of crotchety (he is the editor for Wendell Berry's books so... you can just picture that) with big generalizations like "All computer technologies promote arrogance." Um... you know what else promotes arrogance? Thinking you're too good to use computer technologies. So, those sections were weaker.
But the first half was like life-changing and definitely worth reading, and for a work of theology it was quite readable!
May 8, 2023
If you are looking for a practical book on how to observe the Sabbath (once a week), there are several other books I would recommend: Sabbath by Wayne Muller, The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan, and Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest by Ruth Haley Barton.
This book is more about how Sabbath is meant to be the lens through which we view and live all of life. It is excellent and highly recommended - note, it is not an academic writing per se but more so than the recommendations above.
This book is more about how Sabbath is meant to be the lens through which we view and live all of life. It is excellent and highly recommended - note, it is not an academic writing per se but more so than the recommendations above.
July 22, 2018
It is obnoxious when a book can contain so much utterly true-truth, and yet struggle to communicate that truth in such a manner that conforms to the nature of that truth. I picked up Living the Sabbath with an interest in the author, Norman Wirzba, and the desire to enter more deeply into Sabbath myself. The foreword by Wendell Berry was an utterly delightful perk!
But the book itself, at some deep level, lacked the Sabbath-imagination that it so deeply desired to proclaim. Some of this is on the fault of the publishers: will someone please tell the powers-that-be that pushing text out to the utter margins (both vertical and horizontal) just ruins the reading experience? One lugs through paragraph after paragraph of "stretched" text; there was a serious error in publishing here on the end of Brazos Press.
Typesetting and publishing errors aside, Wirzba's book presents itself as a practical on-ramp into Sabbath living. Yet, as is too often true of so many "practical" books in our modern, theory-driven world, the practical matters are bogged down by simply more theory, leaving nuggets of life on the sides of the road. In the very last chapter, Wirzba mentions a pastor he knows who has baptismal candidates weed a garden with a mentor: I think a practical study on the Sabbath ought to have dedicated a whole chapter just to all that particular practice entailed, storying it out, analyzing and engaging with it. Better: we could have used a whole chapter on gardening.
In other words, Wirzba's book on Sabbath, with its hammock on the cover, doesn't fulfill its own promises and proclamations. It rushes, it zips and zaps. It critiques its late-modern consumerist context, but gives little notice or care to the reality that late-modern consumerism has made this very book possible. Wirzba discusses time and again our inability to receive the Creation as Good, to receive our own lives as gifts, and, yet, we receive so little of his own life and story incarnated in the text (another Sabbath-practice: the art of telling one's story!).
I came to Living the Sabbath with a handful of questions. What I received were some smattered (and disorganized) quotes from great authors (Wirzba quotes some of my favorites: Ellen Davis, Wendell Berry, John Yoder), arrayed in a haphazard work of practical theology. For someone with as much professional and academic clout as Wirzba (he's a part of the constellation that makes Duke Seminary a shining star for theological studies), I found this "practical" work stunningly unpractical, and uninspiring. I would not recommend it as a study in Sabbath, preferring instead some of Wirzba's sources (e.g. Christopher J.H. Wright, Ellen F. Davis, etc.) for the academic end, and Wendell Berry (for instance) for the practical.
But the book itself, at some deep level, lacked the Sabbath-imagination that it so deeply desired to proclaim. Some of this is on the fault of the publishers: will someone please tell the powers-that-be that pushing text out to the utter margins (both vertical and horizontal) just ruins the reading experience? One lugs through paragraph after paragraph of "stretched" text; there was a serious error in publishing here on the end of Brazos Press.
Typesetting and publishing errors aside, Wirzba's book presents itself as a practical on-ramp into Sabbath living. Yet, as is too often true of so many "practical" books in our modern, theory-driven world, the practical matters are bogged down by simply more theory, leaving nuggets of life on the sides of the road. In the very last chapter, Wirzba mentions a pastor he knows who has baptismal candidates weed a garden with a mentor: I think a practical study on the Sabbath ought to have dedicated a whole chapter just to all that particular practice entailed, storying it out, analyzing and engaging with it. Better: we could have used a whole chapter on gardening.
In other words, Wirzba's book on Sabbath, with its hammock on the cover, doesn't fulfill its own promises and proclamations. It rushes, it zips and zaps. It critiques its late-modern consumerist context, but gives little notice or care to the reality that late-modern consumerism has made this very book possible. Wirzba discusses time and again our inability to receive the Creation as Good, to receive our own lives as gifts, and, yet, we receive so little of his own life and story incarnated in the text (another Sabbath-practice: the art of telling one's story!).
I came to Living the Sabbath with a handful of questions. What I received were some smattered (and disorganized) quotes from great authors (Wirzba quotes some of my favorites: Ellen Davis, Wendell Berry, John Yoder), arrayed in a haphazard work of practical theology. For someone with as much professional and academic clout as Wirzba (he's a part of the constellation that makes Duke Seminary a shining star for theological studies), I found this "practical" work stunningly unpractical, and uninspiring. I would not recommend it as a study in Sabbath, preferring instead some of Wirzba's sources (e.g. Christopher J.H. Wright, Ellen F. Davis, etc.) for the academic end, and Wendell Berry (for instance) for the practical.
December 30, 2022
What a delight to read! In this book, Wirzba focuses on the necessity of Christians recovering a rich theology of Sabbath so that our entire lives might be infused with the sacred rhythms of praise and peace. Rather than restricting his discussion of Sabbath to the observance of a single day, he paints a picture of how Sabbath joy can affect every sphere of life.
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December 4, 2025Period wirzba!
February 12, 2017
An incredibly important book; I'd love to see churches of all denominations take this on in adult Sunday schools, book studies, and other small groups. Wirzba challenges all aspects of modern, Western culture, both within and outside the church; some topics he covers are education, food, environmentalism, and human and animal suffering. Each topic is rooted in the ground of worshipful delight in creation, and Wirzba respectfully draws on Jewish theology as well as Christian thinking throughout the past 2000 years. Could have benefited from more story-telling (one of the few stories he recounts involves his family's relationship with their raspberry patch, and it is a vibrant and memorable illustration of his point), but the ideas alone are worth reading the book for even if the writing is a little dry in points.
February 3, 2020
I just re-read this, and found it has improved.
August 13, 2024
I highly enjoyed this book and will keep it forever to read when I need a reminder on how to “live the sabbath”.
January 13, 2021
Honestly, I can't decide if this is a three or five star book.
First, it's important to understand that this book is a theoretical book. Although it is marketed as a practical book, it is not. However, the theory, when applied has the power and potential to change life practically.
Why it's a five star:
1. this book demands attention. It is full of truth bombs.
2. this book demands reflection.
A. I think this book is worthy of being read annually because of the way it is able to shift your perspective on the mundane and ordinary.
B. This book would make for a great year long study. Read one chapter on the first of the month and spend the rest of the month soaking it in and figuring out how to live it.
C. This book would make a great book for group study for those wanting to think, be challenged, and be changed.
Why it's a three star:
1. Wirzba is a Wendell Berry fan-boy. Read Wendell Berry.
2. This book doesn't give account for a God who commits and commands genocide.
3. Wirzba doesn't account for the fact that this book is a product of the systems he denounces and critiques and that for readers to buy this book contributes to the perpetuation of those systems.
4. It lacks practical examples and inspiration. There are maybe three or four examples in the entire book, the best of which is in the last chapter.
5. This book is arduous to read because of it's formatting on the page. Brazos Press needs a crash course on how to format books to make them palatable.
6. This book seems to adhere to a white, upper-middle-class, heteronormative, ableist lens.
First, it's important to understand that this book is a theoretical book. Although it is marketed as a practical book, it is not. However, the theory, when applied has the power and potential to change life practically.
Why it's a five star:
1. this book demands attention. It is full of truth bombs.
2. this book demands reflection.
A. I think this book is worthy of being read annually because of the way it is able to shift your perspective on the mundane and ordinary.
B. This book would make for a great year long study. Read one chapter on the first of the month and spend the rest of the month soaking it in and figuring out how to live it.
C. This book would make a great book for group study for those wanting to think, be challenged, and be changed.
Why it's a three star:
1. Wirzba is a Wendell Berry fan-boy. Read Wendell Berry.
2. This book doesn't give account for a God who commits and commands genocide.
3. Wirzba doesn't account for the fact that this book is a product of the systems he denounces and critiques and that for readers to buy this book contributes to the perpetuation of those systems.
4. It lacks practical examples and inspiration. There are maybe three or four examples in the entire book, the best of which is in the last chapter.
5. This book is arduous to read because of it's formatting on the page. Brazos Press needs a crash course on how to format books to make them palatable.
6. This book seems to adhere to a white, upper-middle-class, heteronormative, ableist lens.
July 5, 2019
Theoretical, not practical. Choose accordingly.
Wirzba's examination of the Sabbath concept is more theological/philosophical than practical, so readers seeking a how-to should leave this to the thinkers. Not that you can't be both, but there's a definite difference between talking about a thing, and doing a thing. Both are valuable, of course: without doing, you're just talking, but without talking, you often don't know what you're doing. But is it REALLY that hard to just take a freaking break once a week?
In a word, YES. Therefore, understanding WHY it's done and looking at the Biblical record can be very valuable to those inclined to question the things they do. Or seminary students. Whatevs. Either way, this is a nice gentle read that, if you're even a tiny bit religious, will get you thinking about your own Sabbath rituals....or maybe creating some, if you don't already observe them. A specialty topic, recommended for seminary libraries, church libraries, and large public libraries where demand warrants.
Wirzba's examination of the Sabbath concept is more theological/philosophical than practical, so readers seeking a how-to should leave this to the thinkers. Not that you can't be both, but there's a definite difference between talking about a thing, and doing a thing. Both are valuable, of course: without doing, you're just talking, but without talking, you often don't know what you're doing. But is it REALLY that hard to just take a freaking break once a week?
In a word, YES. Therefore, understanding WHY it's done and looking at the Biblical record can be very valuable to those inclined to question the things they do. Or seminary students. Whatevs. Either way, this is a nice gentle read that, if you're even a tiny bit religious, will get you thinking about your own Sabbath rituals....or maybe creating some, if you don't already observe them. A specialty topic, recommended for seminary libraries, church libraries, and large public libraries where demand warrants.
June 17, 2020
Good but not great.
I guess I went in with different expectations than Wirzba wrote with. I expected this book to be a practical guide to living sabbath-ly on The Sabbath as well as all other days (which it did end up being, nearer to the end). It is definitely aimed at a more theoretical-level/societal level. This is a good aim, but went a little higher than I was expecting.
If you are looking for a intro to Sabbath practices in your daily life this is not the book for you. If you have been practicing the sabbath for a while and want to delve deeper into a sabbatical life style you should give this book a try.
Overall I found it helpful. Ellen Davis says Living the Sabbath is “worthy of a place alongside Abraham Herschel’s great work.” I’m not sure if I’m allowed to disagree with Davis…but in this point I do. I think this is a good book, but not nearly to the level of mastery shown in Herschel’s seminal work.
Definitely worth the read, but maybe not as an introduction to sabbath.
I guess I went in with different expectations than Wirzba wrote with. I expected this book to be a practical guide to living sabbath-ly on The Sabbath as well as all other days (which it did end up being, nearer to the end). It is definitely aimed at a more theoretical-level/societal level. This is a good aim, but went a little higher than I was expecting.
If you are looking for a intro to Sabbath practices in your daily life this is not the book for you. If you have been practicing the sabbath for a while and want to delve deeper into a sabbatical life style you should give this book a try.
Overall I found it helpful. Ellen Davis says Living the Sabbath is “worthy of a place alongside Abraham Herschel’s great work.” I’m not sure if I’m allowed to disagree with Davis…but in this point I do. I think this is a good book, but not nearly to the level of mastery shown in Herschel’s seminal work.
Definitely worth the read, but maybe not as an introduction to sabbath.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2020
This was not as practical as I was expecting (and would have liked) it to be. Wirzba focuses heavily on theological and philosophical arguments for the Sabbath, which were fascinating, but these arguments are rendered less applicable to the reader without concrete examples and/or solutions to the myriad problems he identified with modern life. I also disagree with his hard stance against technology.
However, this book was still incredibly interesting and convicting. It approached the role of Christians in a way I have rarely encountered and provided a new lens through which to view the world. The current attitudes prevalent among Christians are incredibly disheartening, but Wirzba’s book provides hope that we can reorient faith toward responsible and loving actions focused on communities, families, and creation itself.
However, this book was still incredibly interesting and convicting. It approached the role of Christians in a way I have rarely encountered and provided a new lens through which to view the world. The current attitudes prevalent among Christians are incredibly disheartening, but Wirzba’s book provides hope that we can reorient faith toward responsible and loving actions focused on communities, families, and creation itself.
July 19, 2025
This is an excellent exploration of the theology behind Sabbath rest and delight. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. As the critics point out, it is often very "vibes based" and offers very little evidence or examples to support the author's points. However, it is a book written from the soul rather than an academic treatise. I would recommend it for anyone who is curious about counter-cultural Christian approaches to rest, economics, ecology, and community.
August 19, 2021
As someone who used to hold to a more sctrict sabbatarian view, I have been trying to think through the benefits of sabbath thinking. This book gave an interesting persepctive on how sabbath thinking can be used to change our comercial centric approach to reality. This book was helpful, but for some reason I didn't ever feel super drawn into it.
November 16, 2022
Parts of this were really great. The first half shines. Parts of this made modernism seem like the chief boogeyman that keeps us from experiencing delight. Now, I’m as ready to critique modernism as anybody, but the problems don’t start and end there. And there’s room for delight and Sabbath in the world we have, not just in the world we might wish we had.
March 3, 2025
Thought provoking book that reads like a set of engaging essays on some of the ramifications of taking the Sabbath seriously in one's life. Very insightful environmental connections are laid out with beautiful Wendell Berry inspired references! I recommend this book as a good conversation starter for someone who's thought more carefully about the concept of Sabbath in daily life.
July 15, 2019
Great conception of making Sabbath the paradigm Christian's live in everyday. It is not always easy prose to work through however.
It is even better as I reflect back on it at the end of the year.
It is even better as I reflect back on it at the end of the year.
May 20, 2020
Everyone should read at least one Wirzba book a year. I wonder when, though, the building blocks he masterfully puts forth will lead to his leaving Mainline Protestantism yet not lead to Theosis/Eastern Orthodoxy.
September 30, 2022
Great book
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in enriching their Sabbath practices. It discusses many different aspects of our celebration of Sabbath in a thoughtful and thought provoking way.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in enriching their Sabbath practices. It discusses many different aspects of our celebration of Sabbath in a thoughtful and thought provoking way.
December 3, 2017
This is a fantastic book that I see myself continually reading as a way to center myself in what is truly central to life lived fully in Christ.
July 15, 2019
A beautiful book to read on sabbath living.
March 29, 2024
More about why we need to have a rhythm of Sabbath as part of our lives. Less of a how to achieve such a rhythm
March 10, 2013
Wirzba writes on the meaning of the sabbath, a timely topic in today's rushed life. By placing a discussion on the sabbath within God's own delight on the day of rest, and within the Ten Commandments, he places a reflection of the sabbath within a reflection on created orders. The sabbath is a day of joy and delight of God's gifts of life to us, because it was God's own response to a creation well made. It is not just a break from hectic work and schedules, it has meaning for everything we do; a focus of gratitude, a deep desire to give thanks to God. Our choices and schedules at all times need to reflect this deep gratitude, the 'costly ways of God's grace' (p22). The misery of animals, creation, workers stand in contrast to finding delight and praise. Dominion can only be effective if there is 'informed affection' (p32). The sabbath is not a day when all stops, but a day where everything is celebrated (p33), our total dependence on God with all the kindness and sacrifices needed to sustain our lives, incl. earthworms, plants, families, teachers... Forsaking the sabbath is to think we can live by ourselves, it is a matter of life and death (p41). With Moltmann he argues that the Christian Sunday is the messianic extension of the sabbath, is is not that the meaning of the sabbath is abolished in Christ, instead, with the 'incarnation of God in Christ the whole of creation is given a redemptive focus' (p42). The goal of all of life is to find rest in God. The road is through the cross and it is sin that prevents each member to become what God has intended them to be (p51). Transformation is possible by entering into the life of God by following Christ's commandments.
An affirmation of the goodness in creation could also include pain and suffering, self interested yearning is ingratitude. Delight is when we know we do not have to secure the world through our hands or reason. Many layers of support and relationships are needed to make life possible, arguing against any form of arrogance and ignorance. A rejection of the reality of pain and suffering, a yearning to escape is no basis for a life of delight. Members of the body of Christ never face their suffering alone. We learn interdependence when we fully welcome others. That is what Wirzba calls 'Sabbath discipline': to be trained in strengthening and celebration of our relationships.
Wirzba continues with an application of Sabbath principles of delight and relationship to work, homes, education, environment, worship and economies in a language of oikos/household, citing approvingly of scholars such as theologian Christopher Wright, ecological economist Herman Daly as well as Wendell Berry. The solutions Wirzba proposes tend towards the local and community and detailed understanding of ecological relationships.. One example that illustrates, page 162: 'big chains give us cheap goods, their cheapness hide too many hidden costs that diminish creations' delight'. Wirzba is further suspicious of technology, academia, the urban, efficiency and management paradigms.
Wirzba linked the meaning of the sabbath to the whole of life. It is a book full of wonderful insights and provides a much-needed antidote to a one day a week Christianity, focussed on individual consumption of religious goods and services.
Linking Christian living or ethic to creation order is a project mired with difficulty, however. In our broken and fallen world, where even our best works and intentions are full of sin, how can we even start to claim that we know how to reflect the image of God in the cosmos? It will always be provisional at best, always subject to revision, always open to change as He is making something new! A fall-back on conservativism is always close when speaking about creation orders, it is easy to reaffirm the old in reaction to the liberalism of market economies, technology, education etc. The sabbath mist indeed be thought through much more consciously, but Jesus Christ is Lord also of the sabbath. It is in Him where a search for Christian living start as He is the road to our Father. Living the sabbath starts in Christ, in creation, cross and resurrection and His promises of the what is yet to come. This is theme where I would have loved to see more of in Wirzba's book.
Well-written, a great topic and easy to read, recommended!
An affirmation of the goodness in creation could also include pain and suffering, self interested yearning is ingratitude. Delight is when we know we do not have to secure the world through our hands or reason. Many layers of support and relationships are needed to make life possible, arguing against any form of arrogance and ignorance. A rejection of the reality of pain and suffering, a yearning to escape is no basis for a life of delight. Members of the body of Christ never face their suffering alone. We learn interdependence when we fully welcome others. That is what Wirzba calls 'Sabbath discipline': to be trained in strengthening and celebration of our relationships.
Wirzba continues with an application of Sabbath principles of delight and relationship to work, homes, education, environment, worship and economies in a language of oikos/household, citing approvingly of scholars such as theologian Christopher Wright, ecological economist Herman Daly as well as Wendell Berry. The solutions Wirzba proposes tend towards the local and community and detailed understanding of ecological relationships.. One example that illustrates, page 162: 'big chains give us cheap goods, their cheapness hide too many hidden costs that diminish creations' delight'. Wirzba is further suspicious of technology, academia, the urban, efficiency and management paradigms.
Wirzba linked the meaning of the sabbath to the whole of life. It is a book full of wonderful insights and provides a much-needed antidote to a one day a week Christianity, focussed on individual consumption of religious goods and services.
Linking Christian living or ethic to creation order is a project mired with difficulty, however. In our broken and fallen world, where even our best works and intentions are full of sin, how can we even start to claim that we know how to reflect the image of God in the cosmos? It will always be provisional at best, always subject to revision, always open to change as He is making something new! A fall-back on conservativism is always close when speaking about creation orders, it is easy to reaffirm the old in reaction to the liberalism of market economies, technology, education etc. The sabbath mist indeed be thought through much more consciously, but Jesus Christ is Lord also of the sabbath. It is in Him where a search for Christian living start as He is the road to our Father. Living the sabbath starts in Christ, in creation, cross and resurrection and His promises of the what is yet to come. This is theme where I would have loved to see more of in Wirzba's book.
Well-written, a great topic and easy to read, recommended!
Read
July 31, 2011Wirzba confronts today’s culture (of work, food production, economic structures etc) describing it as devoid of rest and delight. He attempts to lift the meaning of Sabbath off the one day at the end of the week when human beings withdraw from activities in order to “rest”- if indeed they do, and defines it as a lifestyle of delight that can be attained when we withdraw to redefine our lifestyles and its effects not only on our state of being but also the environment. While his proposals are timely and indeed worthy of consideration, and while he has taken a great deal of space to articulate the issues and what needs to be done for Sabbath to be experienced, he does not suggest how. This leaves room for criticism and claim that his options are abstract, irrelevant and unfeasible in today’s world. However I think, the issues he raises should challenge today’s ways of life, especially in the developed world.
February 1, 2015
I'll admit a certain bias, having had the pleasure of learning with Dr. Wirzba in class, but this is simply one of the finest books on the Sabbath. I read it in parallel with Heschel's Sabbath and Brueggemann's Sabbath as Resistance to prepare for a recent retreat (also two fine books). Living the Sabbath strikes an excellent balance of the theological and practical, interweaving the two in a deeply organic and transparent way.
Wirzba takes a sabbath worldview and applies it imaginatively and thoughtfully to all the aspects of every day life. In the first half of the book he traces a semi historical development from Scriptural and Jewish roots to the modern worship practice. Then he turns a critical eye to work, rest, consumption, production and economics, examining each through the lens of Sabbath.
This is a must read resource both for Christian living and any teaching, preaching or writing on Sabbath.
Wirzba takes a sabbath worldview and applies it imaginatively and thoughtfully to all the aspects of every day life. In the first half of the book he traces a semi historical development from Scriptural and Jewish roots to the modern worship practice. Then he turns a critical eye to work, rest, consumption, production and economics, examining each through the lens of Sabbath.
This is a must read resource both for Christian living and any teaching, preaching or writing on Sabbath.
April 8, 2016
I found this book to be very scolding. Had it been the first book I'd read about Sabbath I'm not sure it would've made me desire to have a practice of Sabbath keeping. Other books accomplished far more in that direction for me. He far too often indulged in hyperbole to make a point and instead killed his overall credibility for me. I'd been doing my best to stay engaged until he totally lost me on the subject of architecture, implying that every single American house was built the same way and applying the worst possible interpretation to floor plans without any actual facts to back it up. He did that in most of the book for just about every topic he took on. I skimmed the last half of the book just to get it read.
It's too bad. He makes some good points but they're buried in so much diatribe I stopped paying attention after awhile.
It's too bad. He makes some good points but they're buried in so much diatribe I stopped paying attention after awhile.
June 14, 2023
The first half of this book was fascinating, well written, thought provoking, and helpful.
The second half of the book left a lot to be desired, unfortunately. Wirzba aims to speak about what “sabbath living” looks like in so many different fields that I’m not sure I really have a more whole picture of what sabbath living actually is. There is lots of wisdom here, though.
This book did indeed help me to understand better what the sabbath means beyond blessing me as an individual— how does the sabbath bless the environment and the earth? How does the sabbath bless my local economy? How does the sabbath heal communities?
These are ideas I see the Bible hinting at and couldn’t previously give language too.
The picture of sabbath Wirzba paints never zooms in enough to be practical, though.
Read the first half tho.
The second half of the book left a lot to be desired, unfortunately. Wirzba aims to speak about what “sabbath living” looks like in so many different fields that I’m not sure I really have a more whole picture of what sabbath living actually is. There is lots of wisdom here, though.
This book did indeed help me to understand better what the sabbath means beyond blessing me as an individual— how does the sabbath bless the environment and the earth? How does the sabbath bless my local economy? How does the sabbath heal communities?
These are ideas I see the Bible hinting at and couldn’t previously give language too.
The picture of sabbath Wirzba paints never zooms in enough to be practical, though.
Read the first half tho.
November 28, 2015
I have enjoyed, and learned from, several of Wirzba's essays dealing with agrarian philosophy, and I also found to be very helpful and challenging his previous book The Paradise of God: Renewing Religion in an Ecological Age , so I have been looking forward to reading this new one. I haven't been disappointed. It is both insightful and challenging. The sort of book that should be read carefully by anybody who cares and is willing to think about what it could mean to live a life that is nourished by "rhythms of rest and delight".
April 3, 2010
Sabbath is a way of life, not a day off. Our frenetic society has placed US at the center of everything, and we have failed to trust in God's goodness as we abuse ourselves and His creation. This is a book I will need to read again and again. For now, I will practice taking delight in God's wonderful gifts!
January 16, 2014
This was the first book I read as I began my research on my Masters project on Sabbath Mission. I fell in love with it within the first few pages and have returned to it again and again. This is a well written, accessible book about the transformative power of the Sabbath for our daily lives. If you wanted to read one book about Sabbath, I’d recommend this in a heartbeat.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews