This Sunday, August 7 2022
Sunday Worship at 10:15am in the Christ Church Sanctuary and on YouTube.

Fellowship Hour after worship in Fellowship Hall. Grab a slice of cake celebrating Jess S's last Sunday before heading to college.
REAL talk
Rest is NOT a four-letter word
If you are retired, or are a person of leisure, perhaps the word rest is a regular part of your daily vernacular. Some people seem to rest easily, take frequent naps, breath deeply, and generally exuding a sense of calmness. If you know me, you know I am not one of those people!

Before I was a pastor I worked in corporate business. Before that, I was a teacher. In those professions rest is often treated like a four-letter word, or dirty little secret. If you let on that you need some, people begin to think you are clinically depressed or hungover or somehow unhealthy. But take a look at the 23rd Psalm - God encourages us to rest and allow our connection with the divine mystery to guide us forward in our lives, stepping lightly in grace and humility. We are encouraged to lie down in the green grass and take gentle walks alongside bubbling streams.

God lets me rest in grassy meadows;
God leads me to restful waters;
God keeps me alive.
Psalm 23: 2-3 CEB

Photo by Joel Holland on Unsplash.com
If King David’s songs don’t do it for you, flip back to the earliest chapters of Genesis. On the seventh day, God rested. God was not worn out! God was not overwhelmed, overworked, or overstressed. But God had been busy creating everything, and God taught us that it is important to kick back, recognize our blessings, and delight in them, so that we may be re-energized to move ahead into our futures.

If rest was good for the creator of all things, and good for one of the great followers like David, then it is also good for me, and for you. It’s not always easy to find a few moments of rest in the daily grind of work, family, service, illness, self improvement, or even entertainment. But God deserves well-rested disciples, and each of us deserves a good long nap sometimes. 

Whether or not you can grab a snooze today, take a moment right now for five slow breaths. Then out loud or in your mind give thanks for some blessing or sighting of God that you have experienced today. Gentle nudges are all around us… Can you feel them? Hope to see you at church on Sunday at 10:15am, where we will rest and rejoice together. 

Love, Pastor Emily