Scripture:
“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord you God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall no do any work…” (Deuteronomy 5:12-14a)
Thought for the day:
Summer is gone for another year. With everything that happened this summer, I realized that we do a disservice to our children by giving them the summer off of school every year! (LOL! They’re gonna love me for that!) For our entire educational career, we are taught that the summer is a time to rest and rejuvenate… we expect it! We look forward to it! We celebrate it! Until school’s over and we have to get jobs… and then summer changes for ever and if you are like me… you schedule into September and October! There is no rest for the weary! LOL!
We need rest as a means of health! We need rest to rejuvenate the body, the mind, and the spirit! It is essential to every living creature! In fact, rest is part of God’s design for our well-being which is why we have been granted the gift of Sabbath!
Sabbath is all about you and me! It has been granted to us so that we can rest. A Sabbath rest isn’t just about physical and mental rejuvenation, it is a sign of dependence upon God rather than upon ourself. We honor and affirm Creation when we take the time to rest within it. It is a confirmation that the world belongs to God, not to us.
The fullness of life is a byproduct of faithful living, Jesus came to give us life, abundant life! (John 10:10)
We reject that gift by allowing other demands to press upon our time set aside for God.
That said, the Sabbath is holy, so that we can be holy. If we want our community to be whole, it is up to us to allow for sacred time, for listening for what God would have us do, for gathering with our brothers and sisters in Christ to celebrate our great God on high.
As summer turns to Autumn , I pray that you will find rest in the house of the Lord.
Prayer for the day:
Dear Lord, grant me rest in Your holy house. Amen.