A Sabbath’s Rest
The Lord God rested on the 7th day. He then commanded that every seventh year be a year of renewal, and then that every 50 years (7x7, then the year immediately following) was to be a year of Jubilee. Leviticus 25 lays this out in detail. Extreme detail!
The Year of Jubilee
“In addition, you must count off seven Sabbath years, seven sets of seven years, adding up to forty-nine years in all. Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors and return to your own clan. This fiftieth year will be a jubilee for you. During that year you must not plant your fields or store away any of the crops that grow on their own, and don’t gather the grapes from your unpruned vines.” Lev 25:8, 10-11 (NLT)
We celebrate the seventh day on the first of the week. This is to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection and honor God’s resting on the seventh day. We do tend to think of Monday as the first day of the week because of our traditional work week and the way our school system is arranged. As you can see, it wouldn’t take long for this explanation to become quite Leviticus like in it’s constitution. So we press on…
Beginning tomorrow, September 17th, I’ll be on sabbatical leave until Thursday, Oct 29th. I am quite grateful for the support and grace of the Pastor’s Advisory Council members, along with the entire congregation these past seven years. July 1st was the date that marked the beginning of the eighth year that Teresa, Becky, Dan, and I (and David by extension) came to live and minister among you. It has been good. Quite good, actually. I’m excited about what lies ahead for us as we, like everyone else, look ahead to 2021 and the opportunities it holds.
I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunities I’ve had, the opportunity at hand, and those to come. I am thankful for the blessings that have marked our first seven years here in Springfield. I am thankful for the love we have been shown. I am thankful for the work that you have done. And will accomplish.
I head off into tomorrow with anticipation. The anticipation of accomplishing rest, in the many ways that can be defined. The anticipation of green pastures and still waters. The anticipation of experiencing the presence of God. The anticipation of learning something. And maybe even the anticipation that this time will be life changing in a very positive way.
So, off into tomorrow we go. This time will be good for the church; this time will be good for Teresa and I. May the Lord Himself look upon this time and say, “It is good”.
