Garden City by John Mark Comer
Week 10: Chapter 9 — Sabbath
Read Chapter 9 of Garden City. Primary Scripture: Exodus 20:8–11; Mark 2:23–28; Hebrews 4:1–11.
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Of all the chapters in the book, this one may be the most countercultural and the most urgently needed. Comer makes the case that Sabbath is not a legalistic rule or an optional spiritual extra — it is a declaration of trust, a resistance to the spirit of the age, and one of the most radical things a follower of Jesus can do.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Comer describes Sabbath as a protest — a weekly act of defiance against a culture that defines us by our productivity. Does Sabbath feel like protest to you, or does it feel more like deprivation? Why?
2.The commandment to keep the Sabbath is rooted in creation (God rested on the seventh day) and in the Exodus (God delivered Israel from slave labor). What does it mean that Sabbath is simultaneously an act of worship and an act of liberation?
3.Comer is honest about how difficult he found it to implement a real Sabbath practice. What are the biggest obstacles to Sabbath in your own life — practical, psychological, or spiritual?
a.Do you experience guilt or anxiety when you stop working? What does that reveal about where you are finding your identity or security?
b.Comer suggests that the inability to rest is often a spiritual problem masquerading as a scheduling problem. Do you agree? What would need to change in your heart — not just your calendar — for Sabbath to become real?
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