Book Review | Subversive Sabbath
One of the ways we grow in our understanding of God, the world, and ourselves is through the gift of reading. Below is a review of the book Subversive Sabbath by A.J. Swoboda written by Morgan Swank. We hope that this review is helpful to you.
I recently picked up a copy of Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World by A.J. Swoboda and found it to be a helpful read on the topic of rest and the Sabbath.
The author makes it clear that this book is not a comprehensive treatise on the Sabbath, nor is it a how-to manual for effective Sabbath keeping. Rather, the book combines Biblical texts, a variety of historical Jewish traditions, and anecdotes to help the reader sift through false societal notions of rest and provide a grace-filled way of understanding the Sabbath.
For many Christians, the idea of a Sabbath can seem archaic and painful, bringing to mind a solemn day where enjoyable things are banned. Swoboda upends this notion with looking at who God is, his heart for his children, and what the posture of our hearts should be. So often “the Sabbath is a gift we do not know how to receive. In a world of doing, going, and producing, we have no use for a gift that invites us to stop.” Stopping for a day from our work and striving helps reorient our lives to the realization that we “worship our good God and not the good work he has given us to do.” Sabbath, therefore, isn’t a drudge, but a day for us to enjoy.
The Sabbath, A.J. contends, is a day that is a counter-rhythm to our normal week. It is a day that “put[s] into context the things that we think are important and to remember that they are not ultimate. God is ultimate.”
The book examines the Sabbath not only on a personal level, but how the Sabbath relates to all aspects of our life, society, and the environment. The author provides a helpful perspective on how our disobedience in rest has implications not just to ourselves and others, but also to livestock, our food supply, and the earth itself.
While I don’t agree with everything the author says, and believe he could have focused more on the meaning of Jesus as our ultimate Sabbath rest, I think that this book is a great read for any believer who feels burnt out and overworked. Swoboda continually reminds the reader of the truth of who God is and who we are. “Sabbath reminds us that we never were necessary and that this world is, well, not ours. Sabbath is a reminder that in our irrelevance we are still loved by the Maker of everything. It is only then that we can grasp how deeply we are loved – not because of our usefulness but because we are chosen.”
We can get off the 24/7 treadmill of our works, not because we earned it, but because of what Jesus has done for us. In him is where we find true rest.