As I enter Sabbath weekly, I speak these words,

In keeping with the traditions of our ancestors who honored Sabbath even when enslaved; for my Grandparents who prepared meals on Saturday and laid out special clothes, who made Sabbath a special day for us, I have set my own intentions for honoring Sabbath.

In reflecting upon my Sabbath journey, I realized that what my soul longed for was the ritual and rhythm of faith lived through the Saturday to Sunday practice of Sabbath. While my seminary training equipped me to explain about Sabbath, explaining Sabbath intellectually does not lead one to practice Sabbath passed down to me in my childhood. The North American church with its culture of competition and comparison will not make room for Sabbath. Instead of being different, the church reflects the culture in which we live. The consequences are evidenced by the fatigue felt from pulpit to pews. Sunday, once a day set aside with its stabilizing rhythm and ritual, now looks like the other six days of the week. This is not a Word issue, yet this is a faith without works is dead issue. This study project seeks to explore and examine the spiritually stabilizing practice of Sabbath and how it enables one to thrive in life and ministry for the overall health and welfare of the beloved community.