This year’s Forma Annual Conference took place January 27–30, 2025. Our theme, “Come Away Together (Retirémonos Juntos),” came from Mark 6:31–32: “‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ . . . And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves” (NRSVA). We explored this scripture and the themes of rest, retreat, and Sabbath through daily grounding practices, workshops, and plenaries.

An Invitation to Sabbath from Nathan Stucky

In our closing plenary, Nathan Stucky spoke on the topic of faith in an exhausted world and invited us into new ways of thinking about Sabbath. Below you’ll find the recording of his plenary, the starting places for faith in an exhausted world he names, a list of wonderings that could be used for individual journaling or group discussion, and additional resources. Viewing and discussing this recording would make for a wonderful conversation for just about any adult group in a parish: an adult forum class, a parish retreat, a creation care committee, or a vestry, for example.

Starting Places for Faith in an Exhausted World

1. Abandon the myth of an individual Sabbath: Healing will only be found in communion with God, each other, and creation.
2. Pursue Sabbath in intimate communion with God and creation: Be open to unexpected Sabbath companions, such as a compost pile.
3. Anticipate substantial resistance from both within and without: It is easy to romanticize rest. But Sabbath is not an escape from the world; it is our entry into sitting with the full gamut of the wounds of the world—including our own.

Wonderings for Reflection & Discussion

• I wonder if you are ready to name your longing for rest?
• I wonder when the church contributes to the restoration and renewal of the world?
• I wonder when the church contributes to the exhaustion of the world? How can we tip the scales toward restoration and renewal?
• I wonder what Christian faith can meaningfully contribute in the context of an exhausted world?
• I wonder how you understand Genesis 1:28: “Fill the earth and subdue it”?
• Dr. Stucky says, “After creating humans, God never looks at them and sees that they are good.” I wonder what meaning you make of this? Is the question of human goodness open?
• If we look at God’s relationship with creation for clues about how we might relate to our fellow creatures, I wonder what we might see in addition to what Dr. Stucky mentions? And I wonder what behaviors we might need to change?
• I wonder how you’ve been spending time with creation recently? 
• I wonder how different our lives might be if rest were the starting point—the starting point for our days, our meetings, our projects?
• If Sabbath has something to teach us about faith in an exhausted world, what might that be?

Additional Resources & Recommendations

• “Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England” by William Cronon (New York: Hill & Wang, 1983; 20th anniversary edition, 2003)
• Recordings from the 2025 Forma Annual Conference (opening plenary recording, 19 workshop recordings)
  • If you already have an account on VTS Plus, you can purchase recordings at 2025 Forma Conference Recordings on VTS Plus
  • If you do not yet have an account on VTS Plus, you can become a member of VTS Plus and purchase recordings at 2025 Forma Conference Recordings with VTS Plus signup
• 2025 Forma Conference: Community Recommendations of Resources Related to Sabbath, Rest, and Retreat
• Worship: A Liturgy for Welcoming Sabbath and A Liturgy for Choosing Sabbath – includes written liturgy as well as slides
• Music, Song, Prayer, and Quotes related to theme of rest, Sabbath, and retreat

About Dr. Nathan Stucky

Nathan Stucky serves as Director of the Farminary Project at Princeton Theological Seminary. He grew up on a farm in Kansas where his love for Christian faith and agriculture first took root. After earning a B.A. in Music from Bethel College (KS), Stucky spent six years doing ecumenical youth ministry on the eastern shore of Maryland and two years farming back in Kansas. After farming, Stucky earned an M.Div. and a Ph.D. (Practical Theology, Christian Education and Formation) from Princeton Theological Seminary. His scholarship explores questions of land, ecology, theology, agriculture, justice, joy, and Sabbath as they relate to theological education. He is the author of “Wrestling with Rest: Inviting Youth to Discover the Gift of Sabbath.” Ordained in the Mennonite Church (USA), Stucky engages Farminary work as integral to his calling to teaching ministry. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey with his spouse and three children.

Featured image is by Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash