Those who read Dawn's personal testimony will become convinced that Sabbathkeeping needs more emphasis in spiritual formation literature. For her it is one of the disciplines of the spiritual life. A 24-hour period, Dawn's Sabbath is for her a retreat in time much as the desert was a retreat in space for the spiritual fathers and mothers of the third and fourth centuries. If all the world would experience Dawn's Sabbath, stress-related ailments would be far less prevalent. And God would be better known.
Refusing to enter the debate over which day is the true Sabbath, she chooses rather to present the meaning of the Sabbath as she believes God in tended. But her point is not only to help her readers discover the Sabbath. She also gives practical suggestions for receiving the full benefit of this weekly interruption from work. Her suggestions range from rituals like the burning of candles to begin and end the day, to food preparation and worship celebrations.
"The key to experiencing the Sabbath in the richness of its design is to recognize the importance of its rhythm." The rhythm she describes involves six days of work followed by one full day of rest.
In Dawn's belief that any convenient seventh day will do she misses an important element in the Sabbath commandment. God blessed and hallowed the seventh day of the weekly cycle and gave it to humans not only to rest from work, but to acknowledge Him as the Creator. To disregard the day God sanctified and re place it with one we select is to take upon ourselves God's prerogative. Resting from work and dedicating a full day to fellowship with God on the very day He has blessed honors Him. It adds a dimension that one misses in choosing a day simply for the sake of convenience.
Of course, one can overlook the meaning of the Sabbath while proving the Tightness of the seventh day. I made this mistake in the early years of my own Sabbathkeeping. I knew I was right about the day, but did not progress much beyond allegiance. The Sabbath became a burden a day of "Thou shalt nots." I missed the joy that Dawn experiences on her personally selected Sabbath.
Discovering my misuse of the Sabbath liberated me to enjoy the day as God in tended it and as Dawn describes it. After all, the Sabbath was made for our benefit (Mark 2:27) by a Creator who understood what a drudge life would be without a change of pace. We can easily imagine the glory of Sabbaths in Eden. Perhaps the Creator kept a regular weekly appointment with Adam and Eve. The memories of the visit and anticipation of the next Sabbath must have given the first couple great happiness. Experiencing a portion of that weekly refreshment is still the goal of the Sabbath.
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly includes a bibliography of more than 50 entries representing Christian authors such as Samuele Bacchiocchi and the Jewish scholar Abraham Joshua Heschel.
The beauty of this book lies in the author's own personal testimony. In each section Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, and Feasting she uses personal experiences to illustrate her message. Because of her enthusiasm, the reader cannot help making a commitment to follow her example. Says Dawn, "To keep the Sabbath means to cherish it, to honor it as the Queen of our days, in consort with the King of the universe." What a glorious difference it would have made in our world had God's people always regarded the Sabbath so.