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Viewpoint from Rev Jo Wood 28/11/2025
 Rev Jo Wood
Team Rector of the Flegg Parish Churches Team Ministry
Reclaiming Time with God in a World of Digital Exhaustion
Have you noticed how loud the world has become? News alerts, endless scrolling, constant commentary. Our devices rarely fall silent, and neither do our minds. Many of us feel stretched, distracted, and inwardly restless. Even when we mean to spend time with God, we often find ourselves pulled back to the glowing screen
Into this hurried world, Scripture speaks a surprising countercultural word: rest
Sabbath is not simply about taking a day off; it is a declaration that our lives belong to God, not to the demands of the culture around us. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann describes Sabbath as an act of resistance, a weekly refusal to be defined by productivity, achievement, or the pressures of Pharaoh-like systems that never stop demanding more. When we rest unto God, we say with our lives: “my worth is not measured by my output.”
This message feels especially urgent in an age of digital fatigue. Our technology promises convenience but often steals our attention. It presses us into a 24/7 rhythm of busyness that stands in stark contrast to God’s invitation: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). Sabbath is God’s antidote to this cultural hurry. It offers room to breathe, to listen, to remember who and whose we are
And perhaps there is no better time to reclaim this holy rhythm than now because Advent is almost here. Advent has always been a season of holy waiting, a gentle slowing of the heart to prepare room for Jesus. It draws us away from noise toward a posture of expectancy. But our modern Advent is often consumed by the very things Sabbath resists: frantic schedules, endless notifications, and the pressure to do and buy more
What if this year we approached Advent differently? What if we entered it not exhausted, but attentive? Not harried, but grounded? Practicing Sabbath, even in small, simple ways, can open space for God to speak. It might mean turning off your phone for a few hours, lighting a candle and sitting with Scripture, taking an unhurried walk, or gathering with family for prayer
Sabbath is not a burden but a gift. It reminds us that God is God, and we are not. As Advent approaches, may we rediscover the joy of stopping, resting, and making room for the One who came among us and still comes to meet us in the quiet
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