Hebrews 4
“I need a little rest.” We were not created to go, go, go without
ceasing. “Just let me rest a
little.” We need rest. When I go through a period of extended stress
and busy-ness I sometimes quip, “There is no rest for the wicked!” When we get to a point that we feel the need for
rest physically as our bodies ache, emotionally as our apathy rises, and
spiritually as we feel dry and far from God.
God worked rest into His design for His
creatures. As people reject the Bible’s
message of God’s creation, the idea of a Sabbath rest has been lost too. We fill our days with all sorts of
activities, most of which distract us from God rather than drawing us to
Him.
When God rested from His creating work,
He set an example for us. More
importantly He set a priority for us. We
need down time to be in God’s presence for refreshment, to be made whole again,
and to be replenished with God’s grace. The
only way we receive those salutary (that is, life and health promoting) benefits
is through God’s Word and Sacraments.
To be clear, this is not about making
strict rules about the things you may or may not do on the Sabbath. It is not about what constitutes work that
should or should not be done on one’s day of rest. If anything, rest is not about what you do at
all. Indeed, it is about what you don’t
do, and what God has done for you through His Son.
Rest is about being confident before God
because (1) Jesus is God the Son, (2) God created the world, (3) God spoke to
us and it is recorded for us in the Scriptures (Does this sound familiar?), and
(4) His message is of forgiveness and reconciliation. We have rest when we are reconciled to God,
and the only way to receive that reconciliation is through faith in Jesus –
which is also a gift from God!
Luther wrote of faith being the glue
that binds our hearts to God’s Word and God’s Word to our hearts. The Word is always delivering God’s gifts,
and when it is bound to our hearts we have rest.
Lord, let me rest in Your grace as I have
received it by the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word and Sacraments, and
having rested help me to share your grace with others so they may have rest
too. Amen.
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