An invitation to rest...

Out of love, each week, the Lord invites us to have one day in seven to rest. 

We are created to enjoy God’s creation, enjoy one another, and most of all to enjoy our Creator.  God The Father placed His thumbprint on every single human being.  Theologians call this the Imago Dei. 

If we follow the order of creation, humanity was created on the sixth day. The next day is set aside as a day to rest.  God Himself ceased from working on day seven.  On this day, God reflected on all that He made.  This also meant prior to living into their roles, Adam and Eve rested and spent time with their Creator.

If we follow the rhythm God set for humanity, we rest before we work. Work comes from a place of rest.  When we rest, it gives us space to think, to settle our bodies and mind and to hear from the Holy Spirit.  If our work comes from a place of rest, we experience the joy of how our vocation is a gift to society and honors God. As result, we will be more productive when we follow the rhythm of life God intends.

This day of rest is essential to our well-being.  It is one of the Ten Commandments, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8, NIV).  This particular commandment is a connector.  The first three commandments tell us how to love God, making Him first in our lives.  Commandments five through ten tell us how to love one another.  The sabbath commandment is fourth commandment.  We worship God on the sabbath and we do it together.  When we observe the sabbath it transforms our community.

The Hebrew definition of sabbath means “to cease.” We cease from work.  The question is what occurs on this day?  Theologian Mark Buchan in his book, The Rest of God explains there are three components to sabbath: worship, rest, and play.  

We worship.  We worship the One who created us. We gather with a community of believers called the church and worship.  We are connected to one another through our Savior. Our entire being is engaged in worship.  We use our vocal cords to sing praises.  We listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit through prayer and praise.  We  listen to the Word of God preached.  We eat the sacrament. We experience the power of the Holy Spirit through worship.  Our lives are transformed. 

We play.  It is easy to imagine what play looks like from a child’s perspective.  I believe adults have lost the art of play.  Often life is too serious.  Play is going to look different for each person.  There are so many factors to play: age, weather, season of life, giftedness and the list goes on.  When we play we get lost in the moment.  This is how I experience hiking.  Nothing else exists, I am emersed in the beauty of God’s creation.  All of my senses are alive. I am enjoying the playground Jesus spoke into existence.  What does play look like for you?

We rest.  Rest is vital to our development.  We need rest for our physical, emotional and spiritual growth. 

Our physical being needs rest.  Much can be written about the importance of sleep, as well as periodic rest breaks throughout the day.  When Jesus walked this earth, He slept.  God created our bodies with the need to sleep.  Sleep is a natural way to heal.  Prior to falling asleep, I pray and often read Scripture.  While I sleep it is not uncommon the Lord gives me creative ideas or heals painful memories.

When I experience sabbath, I am less prone for my mind to wander into the world of the hypothetical future.  I am able to trust the Lord for the future.  I am grounded in the present moment, observing what the Lord is doing in the here and now.

When we take one day in seven to slow down from our regular rhythm of life, it gives us space to hear from the Lord.  We experience His love for us.  God The Father loves us just because He created us.  It is in the moments of sabbath that I experience His love to core of my being. 

Receive the invitation of sabbath.