A.J. Swoboda - Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World

As a physician, Ive listened to thousands of hearts. During prenatal exams, Ive heard the rapid swish-swishing of babies still in the womb. Often, moms and dads burst into tears when they hear their childs heart for the first time.

Ive smiled at the strange murmur those thumb-sized hearts make when they are born into the great big world, fetal shunts closing of their own accord as the baby breathes independently for the first time. Ive listened to the chests of three-year-old children as they inhale deeplyand then wonder whether the man in the white coat can hear their thoughts through those tubes attached to his ears.

Ive listened to athletes strong, slow hearts. Ive heard asthmatic hearts pounding away in fear and the muffled sounds of failing hearts. Ive listened to the hearts of saints and of murderers. Im in the first generation of physicians to ever listen to the heart of one person after it has been transplanted into the body of another.

Doctors and nurses listen to patients hearts using a stethoscope. Although this is convenient, its not necessary. In fact, the stethoscope wasnt invented until a generation after our country became a nation. For thousands of years, physicians listened to heart sounds without the aid of a stethoscope. They simply laid their ear on the chest of their patients. Now it is only children who lay their heads on the chest of their parents to listen to beating hearts.

My daughter used to love curling up in the big green chair by our fireplace in winter and falling asleep listening to my heartbeat. These days, my children are grown. Im still close to them and hug them every time I see them, but it is only my little granddaughter whos falling asleep on my chest now... or so I thought. Last week, my son dropped by our house after a long shift at the hospital. He flopped on the couch next to me, and within a few minutes he was asleep, his head resting on me. He was no longer a pediatrician at the university hospital; he was just my little boy, resting in his fathers arms.

I had just finished reading Subversive Sabbath , and I got to thinking about our exhausted world, laying our heads down, and hearing heart sounds. These thoughts led me to the thirteenth chapter of Johns Gospelthe story of the Last Supper. The chapter begins with Jesus washing the disciples feet. Later, Judas dashes off to betray Christ. The chapter ends with Jesus giving a new commandment to love one another.

But midway through, an extraordinary detail is recorded. Here we see the portrait of a commercial fisherman with sunburned skin and calloused hands. His name is John, and hes a mans man. Jesus calls him a son of thunder. Normally, John conveys an image of courage and strength, but at this moment he appears like a little child: Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved (John 13:23 KJV).

There in the middle of the most extraordinary events in human history is a man listening to the heart of God. Dont you wish you could lay your head down on the Maker of the universe and just listen to his heart? Dont you wish that you could lay all your problems down for just a moment and rest on Jesus?

The heart of A. J. Swobodas book is that you can: starting next Sabbath, for twenty-four hours, you can lay your head on the chest of someone who loves you enough to die for you. Subversive Sabbath is an invitation to rest in the Lord.

The Sabbath commandment begins with an odd word: it tells us to remember. Dont forget how good it is to rest in the Lord, to be loved by the Lord, to hear his heartbeat. A. J. Swobodas narrative is both a reminder to those who have forgotten and an instruction for those who have never known the peace of Sabbath rest. Once you start, Swoboda warns, you cannot stop. It is profoundly life giving.

Ultimately, however, reading about Sabbath is like looking at a picture of food. It will not fill you. It can only whet your appetite. You must finish the book, put it down, and actually do the Sabbath. You must get your life quiet enough one day out of the week to hear Gods heart. Only then will you experience the countercultural joy of Shabbat shalom , Sabbath peace.