Maryland Public Television To Premiere New Documentary Sabbath On June 24

Maryland Public Television (MPT) will premiere the new documentary Sabbath on MPT-HD and the MPT livestream at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 24. The two-hour Journey Films production is also available to view on-demand on the PBS App and MPT video player. Additional information and a suite of educational materials are available at journeyfilms.com/sabbath.

In the documentary, award-winning filmmaker Martin Doblmeier explores the religious, secular, psychological and sociological implications of a weekly day of rest for what he describes as a “profoundly burned-out world.” Sabbath delves into the history and traditions of an ancient concept rooted in the biblical story of creation and explores the observance’s potential to serve as a remedy for what ails the modern world — whether it takes the form of a 24-hour religious observance or a secular respite from the nonstop pace of life.

Doblmeier says: “Our world now runs 24/7 with little distinction given to the day or the hour. What the practice of sabbath challenges us to do is set aside time for the sacred, to set sacred time apart from ordinary time, and do it regularly. It has been a practice across the ages, and it’s needed now more than ever.”

Told as a collection of short stories, Sabbath weaves together the practices of several different faith traditions to paint a broad picture of the subject throughout history and in contemporary life. Viewers follow Doblmeier from coast to coast as he explores sabbath beliefs and practices; gains insights from scholars, monks, theologians, clergy, farmers, physicians, and other practitioners; and discovers the profound beauty of the practice across traditions, the principles of justice that undergird it, and the potential it offers for healing a stressed-out world.

Sabbath is produced by Journey Films and presented nationally by MPT. The film is distributed by American Public Television.