As we
camped in Buttermilk Falls, New York, I sat at the table in the heat of
sunlight reflected from our 1965 Ambassador wagon. I remember my mom saying, “I
wish we didn’t have to go back. I feel so rested here.” For her, rest meant
anonymous living without social obligations and commitments. She loved to catch
up on her reading, letter writing, and sleep. It didn’t really matter to her
where she went as long as she got to take time for herself. This need for
vacating or retreat can be important, yet this is not what I believe God’s rest
is about.
God’s
rest is not about doing (or not doing); it is about being. God’s rest at the
end of creation does not celebrate creation being done, but that creation is.
After the work of doing, God does not sit back and ask to be served, God
invites creation to enter into a time of relationship.
It’s
now time to get to know one another. The work of relationship takes time to be.
We are not what we do; we are who God made us. We need time to know that God is
God. God interacts with us and those around us through the gifts we have been
given. We need time to explore those gifts and listen to God’s voice of calling
and God’s hand of leading. This is not a time to vacate; it is a time to enter
in—into relationship with God and one another.
It
is a time of interaction, discovering and discerning our way together. I
sometimes think about it like being a choir. Sopranos sing one thing, altos
another; tenors, baritones and basses all have their own song; some are active
and melodic, others are plodding and plain. There may be beauty in one line;
but if it is not willing to be in relationship with the others, the song can be
thin. It is the relationship of all of the voices, sharing the words of the
song, which brings power, depth, and texture to the piece.
Our
weekly Sabbath time, invites us into that relationship with God so we have a
partner and partners in the singing of our gospel songs learned in daily life. “And
so, with the choirs of angels, the church on earth, and the hosts of heaven, we
join and sing their endless song.” We can start learning the new verses and
melodies for next week tomorrow.
Prayer
Lord,
you hold the door open for us to enter, but we turn aside wanting to open doors
for ourselves. Help us know the gift of relationship with you in the community
of people you gather around us. Help us learn your gospel song. Amen
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