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“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” Hebrews 4:9-10

I hope you’re enjoying your summer. Summer offers us a great opportunity for a change of rhythm. School is out which means that families can go on vacation. They can visit grandparents, spend time splashing in the waves at the beach or enjoy a trail winding through the mountains. No matter which you choose summer gives you the opportunity to forget about your list and just enjoy being a kid again.

That has always been God’s plan for you living as a child of God. What does that look like? Living as a child of God is to acknowledge that God is our Father. That the Father created each of us. That the Father has plans for His children that extend all the way into eternity. That the Father has made those plans a reality through the life, death and resurrection of His Son. That the Father incorporates His children into those plans through the work of the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism and the hearing of the Word. 

Now our heavenly Father invites us to live in those plans. For Adam that meant that God “put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15) In the same way each of us were created to find joy using the gifts God has given us in our work. That could be farming, teaching, nursing or parenting – we all have different gifts. But living in God’s plans also means resting. Isn’t it awesome that Adam and Eve appeared to spend their nights walking with God “in the garden in the cool of the day”? (Genesis 3:8) That was part of the daily rest that they were created to enjoy. But God’s plans are for us to enjoy a weekly rest, called the Sabbath Day, and a yearly rest. In Old Testament days that looked like festivals that were celebrated every year.

What does that rest look like today? It’s daily, weekly and annual rest. It’s getting a good nights sleep, taking a day each week to do whatever reinvigorates you, and taking a vacation. A trip to the beach or another country or the mountains. Something that offers you a change of rhythm from what you normally do. Something that reinvigorates you. It’s important for us spiritually because when we stop our work. When we ignore our to do list. When we just putter we remind our stubborn human nature that God was done on the sixth day of creation and so He rested. We remind ourselves that we’re done because God has accomplished everything for our salvation and our lives and He invites us to live as kids again. That’s God’s rest.

Rev. Matthew Sorenson is the pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church. He can be reached at pastor@stjohnsfarmville.org.