I once heard it said, “Religion is man’s way of reaching out to God. Christianity is God’s way of reaching out to us.” When we practice “religion” we end up with our own set of beliefs, our own set of rules, and we totally miss being in relationship with the one, true God. Even the most sincere attempts at religion don’t lead us to a life of peace with God. They simply keep us in bondage to man-made constructs.

Jesus came not only to set us free from sin and death through His sacrifice on the cross, but to set us free from man-made religion and show us a better way to live in the world. He showed us a way that brings God’s blessing into our lives, and through us, brings blessing into the lives we touch as we follow and emulate Jesus.

One of the blessings of following Jesus is rest. Rest from trying to earn God’s favor and blessing. Rest from man-made religion with all its rules and restrictions. Rest in knowing that God loves us, that God is with us, and that God is working all things together for our good. Because we need to remember what God has graciously done for us, He invites us to a day of rest from the busyness of our lives to refresh our minds and our bodies, and to meditate on, and give thanks for who He is. God called this day of rest the Sabbath.

Once when the religious leaders accused Jesus of breaking their interpretation of a Sabbath rule. He said to them:

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27)

Sabbath is God’s gracious gift to us. It not only affords us a chance to rest and recuperate physically and mentally from our week, it also is a picture of our rest in Jesus Christ from our own futile attempts to reach or please God. For that I am truly thankful.

Not everyone can rest on one certain day of the week, but everyone should take a day of rest for their own good. Whenever and however you have your Sabbath rest, remember to thank God for all your blessings.

Grace & peace,

Pastor Pam