| Last week was a pretty busy week – any time you add a funeral service into the mix, the calendar tends to bet a little bit crowded. Tuesday evolved into a longer day than usual – it happens when one’s wife gets sick on a day that starts with the dentist and ends at the dance studio. So, yesterday I took the day off. The day did not quite start that way (though the thought was on my mind). At 8:30 a.m.as I parked my car in the garage, I had already attended a Bible study, dropped things off at two recycling sites, and had a blood draw. It was then that I decided to take the day off. Stewardship is not just a money issue (emphasis upon JUST). We are also called to be good stewards of (among other things) our time and energy. Part of last week’s busyness” was me covering for a brother pastor who need an extra day to refresh., That is what I was up to yesterday … taking a day to refresh. No, I did not spend the rest pf the day in bed, but other than writing this, conducting a committal, and some “grand-daughter duty”, I was pretty lazy. No walk … instead, feet up in the lazy-boy … grilling burgers … lazy! One great, and needed, day off. In other words, I needed a sabbath rest. You probably know the words spoken at Sinai. “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 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 not do any work, you, or your son, or our daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.” (Exodus 20.8-10) You likely also remember our Lord’s commentary on these words. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2.27-28) Sabbath is not just a “going to a divine service” issue (emphasis still on JUST). Sabbath is for our TOTAL health – spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, social, … It even includes our creator/preserver’s focus upon all of creation. “The land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, but on the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. The Sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired worker and the sojourner who lives with you, and for you cattle and for the wild animals that are in your land: all its yield shall be for food.” (Leviticus 25.2-7) We get weary. What is the phrase? What is worth doing is worth overdoing? But our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord says,“Come to me, all who labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” )(Matthew 11.28) The choice is simple and clear … we can either work harder at trying to fix things for ourselves or take our weariness to Jesus and receive his rest. We all need sleep … alone time … family time … time with friends … the refreshment only God, his word, Sacraments, and Spirit can provide. We all need a daily dose of the Good News of Jesus. And the good news is that it is all given to us in Jesus, our Sabbath rest. |
Day Off
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