With holidays in mind….

I’m sure that many of us are looking forward to some well-deserved time off during the next couple of months.  We all need to take a break from the routine, switch off, relax and recharge our batteries before the onset of autumn and the months ahead.

Did you know though, that God invented holidays?  Genesis 2:2 tells us that after God had completed his work of creation on the seventh day, “He rested from all His work and blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done.”  God did this, not because He was tired and needed a rest (He is God after all!), but because He knew that one day, we would.  “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath!” (Mark 2: 27).

If we are to continue at our optimum strength, mental and physical fitness, we need to rest our minds and bodies, which is why so many of us, me included, count the days to our annual holiday when we can relax by the pool or on the beach, pound the streets of a new city, walk through beautiful countryside, climb a mountain, or do whatever “getting away from it all” means to you.

But is once a year enough to keep that balanced equilibrium that we need to be effective at work, in the home or at school and in the service of Christ?  God thinks not, which is why He blessed the seventh day for our rest.  Just think of that - one day a week where we can step away from the daily routine of work and find rest for our souls and bodies in His presence as we read his word, sing His praise and join in sweet fellowship with brothers and sisters in Jesus.  What a marvellous idea!

You may wonder which day is the Sabbath, well it is undoubtedly Saturday, but that Sabbath rest which is so vital for our physical and spiritual well-being is not confined to that particular day.  In the early days of the Church, believers adopted the practice of meeting together on the first day of the week - our Sunday, which they termed “The Lord’s Day.”  It was the day of Christ’s resurrection (Mark 16:2), the day the Holy Spirit empowered the Disciples (Acts 2:1) and it was the day that the risen Jesus appeared to St John on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:10).  In Acts 20:7 it was the day the disciples were meeting to break bread together, and in 1 Corinthians 16:2 it was the day the church was to bring their weekly offering.  In Colossians 2:16 Paul wrote “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day…” The keeping of the Sabbath in a holy and God honouring fashion is far more important than the actual day on which it is kept.

Hebrews 4:9 tells us “There remains then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God” suggesting that this is a permanent arrangement and will never be changed - so great is our need for it.

This concept of Sabbath rest is written in to the fabric of creation and we ignore it to our detriment.

Growing up in the 60s and 70s, I remember the days when Sunday had a very different feel to it.

The shops were all closed, there were no football fixtures, little work was done, only what was

absolutely essential.  Families spent time together and there was an air of gentle peace that was also reflected in the television schedules.  They were truly wonderful days that I remember with gratitude and joy.  But the real difference, is that God was very much at the centre, it was our day to honour Him.

Although the world has changed forever, we can still do that - set aside time in the weekly schedule

to give God the place he deserves.  We can meet for fellowship, we can praise and worship the God 

of our salvation, we can take the time to read His Word and be assured of forgiveness for our faults

and failings.  Thus renewed, we are able to face the week ahead with new fortitude.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to rediscover this precious gift once again?

Whatever you do and wherever you go this Summer, may it be a time of renewal and refreshing

and may it point you to the peace and rest for your souls that Jesus promised (Matthew 11:28-29),

Rest in God’s grace and salvation and in this world of stress and frenetic activity, may it help you

anticipate the perfect peace and rest that awaits us in Heaven.

See you in September