God Has Prepared A "Sabbath-Rest" For Us

"Today's Devotion" For January 21, 2006

Read: Hebrews 4:1-11; Psalm 95:1-7

GOD HAS PREPARED A "SABBATH-REST" FOR US

"There remains, then, a sabbath-rest for the people of God...Therefore let us make every effort to enter that rest so that no one will fall..." (Hebrews 4:9, 11a)

This is Saturday morning. Tomorrow is Sunday. Boy! Am I smart! It's the weekend, for crying out loud. Those are the days of the weekend. Who needs to be reminded? (To be sure, since a week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday, may be we ought to call the these two days an "EndStart" or "Weekendbegin" or something like that?:>))

Saturdays at our house are just as busy, if not busier than the rest of the week. Between basketball games, work, projects, and just plain catching up on the stuff that doesn't get done the rest of the week, we're pretty busy and pretty tired when the end of the day shows up. Some of you can relate to this because it's happening to you even as I write this. For others of you, you may have a little more leisurely Saturday because you're not married or don't have any children as yet. Still others of you have "been there; done that" and are just grateful that all the running around is over. And then there are some of you, as you've mentioned to me, who wish they could have those days back - and the energy that came with them.

One of the end results of Saturdays in our busy world (although it could be argued the same thing occurred when the world wasn't so busy), is that Sunday truly becomes a day of "rest" - at least from God. God's original intent for the seventh day (Saturday) was for people to rest from their labors, just as God "rested" after the six days He spent creating the Universe. God's "rest" on the seventh day of Creation wasn't to get His "wind" back but to take the time to look at the fruits of His labor and see how good they were. He wanted the same for us and, in the Third Commandment, made it clear that we needed that day just to spend time paying attention to our relationship with Him. An added dimension to the Sabbath became a part of the Christian Church as the faithful in Christ, in part to distinguish themselves from the adherents of Judaism and also to honor Christ's resurrection, took the time to worship on Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead.

Yet the principle of the Third Commandment never changed. "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8) is still the point of the Sunday "sabbath" as it was for the Saturday "sabbath." At the same time, in our modern age, we're seeing another "backlash" to "doing church" on Sundays. In some places, the whole idea of people gathering in an orderly and organized way to worship God is considered passe and meaningless. Many people complain that they don't like to go to church because it's boring. Some try to overcome this with entertainment, often to the detriment of worship and coming into the presence of God. Oh, and don't forget, there's still that pervasive idea, even among Christians, that worship, even on Sundays, is optional and not of great importance.

Yet, each time we gather together for worship, we lift each other up before the Lord and share His forgiveness and love as He comes to us in the Word and Sacraments. The writer to the Hebrews encourages us in this, writing, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb. 10:25). This same writer has earlier reminded us that the very purpose of the Sabbath is to point us to "sabbath-rest" which God has prepared for His redeemed and forgiven children in Christ in His eternal presence in heaven. Thus, each time we gather for worship, we are experiencing a little bit of what heaven's all about - the "sabbath-rest" God has prepared for us to rest from all our labors.

Our time of worship is really precious. It's intended to be that way. It's God's gift to us so that we might, at the very least, take an hour or so to spend time "thinking" about Him. It's a time for us to reflect on our week, on what's coming in the next week, and, in the midst of and in spite of everything that transpires, to recognize both our need for God and His forgiveness and love for us. While our lives of faith are our "spiritual service of worship" (Rom. 12:1) every day, that special time of worship and praise on Sunday (or any time Monday through Saturday) when we can gather together as God's people is of great importance for the strengthening of our faith, the calming of our spirits, the uplifting of our hearts, and reminding us of our home in heaven. As the line from an old song goes, "for united we stand, divided we fall, and if our backs should ever be against the wall, we'll be together; together you and me." Faith in Jesus makes that possible. Our time together in worship, in the presence of God as He speaks to us in the Word and touches us in the Sacraments, holds us together and allows us to stand against every evil and sin that would divide us.

As they say, "See you in church," wherever and whenever that might be. Let me add to that, "See you in heaven," as well.

Prayer: Father, I know Your will is that Your people gather together in worship and praise. Often there is quibbling about whether the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday, when the whole purpose is that You don't want Your people to "give up meeting together as the manner of some is." You want me and all Your people to enter the final "sabbath-rest" in Your presence forever in heaven. Help me to take whatever time is necessary to grow in my relationship with You and my brothers and sisters in Christ. Help me to remember that while my whole life is dedicated to worshipping You, that special time on the "Sabbath," no matter what day of the week, is vital to that worship and my relationship with You, for it shows - more to others than to You - the "worth" I place on that relationship. Hear my prayer, gracious Father, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright @2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.