(Delmont Record – 5/22/2015)

Sabbath Rest

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Exodus 20:8

This Monday we celebrated the Memorial Day holiday.  Now of course the word holiday is simply a combination of the words “holy” and “day.”  This is because most of our holidays have their origin in some sort of religious observance.  In the Old Testament, each day with special religious significance was to be observed with a holy day or Sabbath.  It was meant to be a day of solemn remembrance and also a day on which the people rested.

Rest is important for human beings and so God instituted a regular occurring holy day – the weekly Sabbath.  This Sabbath was observed every Saturday in the Jewish calendar.  The reasoning for this day is given a few verses later in Exodus 20:11, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”  The day of rest was a reminder of God’s work in Creation and also the need we have to occasionally take a break from our work.

For those who have been affected by the tornado that struck Delmont on Mother’s Day, there probably hasn’t been much time for rest.  It has been a time of non-stop work and non-stop stress.  Because of the way were created, we can endure these things for a time – adrenaline and other chemical reactions in our body help us to drive through difficult time – getting the jobs that need doing done, but there is a limit to how much we can take.  Even in these times, we need to find, and make time for, rest.  We need a holiday – a holy day.  We need to take the time to change our focus, even for a moment, from how much there is left to do and to spend time reflecting on God and how much He has done for us.

Hopefully, you found the time to stop and observe Memorial Day – giving thanks for all those who have given their lives so that we might in freedom.  Hopefully, you found time to give thanks to God for sparing the lives of everyone in the path of the storm.  Hopefully, you found time to make it to church this past Sunday as we celebrated Pentecost and gave thanks to God for the peace-giving presence of the Holy Spirit.  If not, when was the last time you celebrated a true holy-day?

Now this command to observe rest was not given to us by God in order to burden us with just one more thing we have to do, but it was meant to be a gift and a blessing.  In Mark 2:27, Jesus taught the people, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  And in Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites us into that true Sabbath rest, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  No matter what situation you find yourself in today, Jesus not only wants to give you rest, but He wants to BE your rest.  Real rest.  Relief not only from our current life situations, but relief also from the burden of guilt and shame we carry with us on account of sin.  Jesus wants to bear all of those things for you.  Come to Him, and you will be forgiven and relieved of your burden of sin.  Come to Him in praise and prayer, and feel His care and concern for you and for your needs – both spiritual and physical.  Come to Him, and He will give you rest and peace for your soul even amidst the chaos of this world.

This is often something that is hard for us to do alone.  So if you see someone who seems burnt out, please, encourage them to rest – to take a break and find something else to do for a time.  Take the time to listen to them and pray with them.  This in itself can be a major stress relief.  And before you offer advice to those struggling, please, first take the time to earnestly listen.  Don’t increase their burden, but listen – let them say what they are feeling without immediate correction.  And if you are looking for someone to talk to, please, feel free to seek out a pastor.  I know there are many in the area who would love to listen.  I, too, want to thank all those area pastors who came to Delmont and just shared a meal or a moment with those affect.  Thank you for your care and assistance.  Many of their numbers are in the church section of this paper, but if you need help finding someone, please don’t hesitate to call our church and I will happily talk to you myself or get you in touch with other local pastors who have volunteered to help – our number here at the First American/Hope parish office is 605-935-6941. The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26.