I seem to recall a song that said something like “Summertime and the living is easy.” In my experience, most of the time, summer is anything but easy. We not only have our “normal” things to do (earning a living, nurturing relationships, caring for dependents, getting some exercise, cleaning the house, etc.), but we have outside maintenance, picnics, graduation parties, festivals, weddings, and all those other outdoor activities that we can’t do any other time of the year. It’s exhausting just thinking about it. So much activity, while good is not healthy if we don’t take time to actually rest. We need times of rest and relaxation to balance our times of activity. That’s in part why God commanded, “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your 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 not do any work…” Deut. 5:12-14
The historic practice of setting aside one day for rest and worship promises peace to those who embrace. Whether we are familiar with the term “Sabbath” or not, we busy people yearn for the reality of it. We need Sabbath, even if we don’t think we have time for it. I encourage you to make a conscious decision to observe the Sabbath this summer. Build time for worship and actual down time into your schedule. Make it a priority and you will find renewed joy and energy for all the other things you want to and have to do.
One Sunday you won’t want to miss this summer is July 15. Celia Whitler will be leading us in worship. Celia is a singer-song writer who communicates with a powerful and unique voice as she tells stories and sings songs with an intimacy that will speak powerfully to us. Check her out at celiamusic.net.
On another note, I hope you enjoyed reading “The Generosity Ladder” as much as I did and found it as encouraging and helpful. (If you haven’t had time to read it yet, I encourage you to do so. It’s well worth a couple hours of your time.) Have you taken the challenge to tithe (to give the first 10% of your income to the work of God through the church) for four months? I’d love to hear your stories. If you have questions or concerns, give me a call and we can find a time to talk about it. I have been blessed by tithing for many years. I know you, too, will find joy in doing so if you give it a try.
In Christ’s love,
