Pastor's Note 07.03.2020 | Find Rest

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. 30 My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Good Day Family,

Find Rest

Rest is essential for the soul as well as the body. Even our minds need to rest. God rested after the work of creation, and Jesus, in His life on earth, find time to rest. We can look to the seasons in nature to see that there are times when creation needs to be rejuvenated. Bears hibernate in winter. Most plants become dormant during the winter. Each day, human beings and most animals slumber. We need rest.

But we also need rest for our spirits. We live in challenging times. The way forward is uncertain. The daily news cycle can be overwhelming. During the month of June, I intentionally and severely restricted the news I consumed each day. I didn’t completely disconnect, but I did not allow myself to be consumed by it. This week, I have resumed a more normal pattern of reading and watching news, but I still have placed limits on myself.

In doing so, I recognize that while I have a part to play in bettering the world that I inhabit, it is not a burden that I alone carry. We, collectively, are empowered by the Spirit of the Living God to do what is necessary and what is right. At the same time, we need to take time to celebrate what is already good and to find the joy in life. June has always been a month of celebration for me.

Beyond being the month of my birth, it is the seasons of graduations, weddings and anniversaries, and Father’s Day. A couple of decades ago, I was introduced to Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of chattel slavery in America. This year, the world seemed to join in that celebration, and for me, it now marks what I am considering the Independence Season (my term—I might need to copyright it). This Saturday, the Fourth of July marks Independence Day as the United States was formed. While we have not reached the ideals expressed in the founding documents, we continue to get closer.

So, celebrate freedom this Independence Day. In doing so, recognize that our true freedom comes not from human hands but from the one who shares our burdens and gives us rest. Be proud to be an American, but rejoice in being a citizen of the Kin-dom of God.

Find rest and celebrate,

Be well,

Pastor Cheryl