I’ve been reflecting the past couple weeks on my own sermon from July 28th. That sounds silly. Why would a pastor reflect on their own sermon? Isn’t it for the congregation’s reflection? Personally, I don’t think so. Any good sermon challenges all who hear it (including and maybe especially the one giving it) to reflect and pray about it.

I have especially been thinking about this idea of a Bop-It toy without the batteries. In my sermon, I used this as a metaphor for what the writer of the book of James calls faith without action. In essence, it is useless because it isn’t living into its created purpose. Our faith in a God who acts and moves requires us to act and move in ways that reflect our Creator.

The more I’ve reflected, however, the more I wish I would have mentioned that we function like a toy without its batteries not because we want to be disobedient or we want to be stagnant in how our faith is lived out but, more often, because we have simply run ourselves ragged and are simply in need of true rest. Maybe we’ve reached the point of going through the motions because it’s all we have left to give.

This is especially pertinent after we heard Pastor James’ series on Sabbath in which we were reminded that Sabbath rest is a vital piece of who we are created and called to be.

An author I’ve come across recently, John Koessler, in his book The Radical Pursuit of Rest writes that “Sabbath affords a rest by which we are not so much restored as re-storied.” (p.106) In other words, in the practice of Sabbath we are allowing our stories to be reshaped, rewritten, and, yes, restored by God who created us with wisdom and purpose and intention!

Rather than allowing our stories to be written by the world—especially a uniquely western cultural mindset that pushes humans to their limits—we are called to live differently, to set an example for the world that humans are not created to be defined by work and what we do, but that humans are created, first and foremost, to be reflections of our Creator. And our Creator, the God we worship, established rhythms to help us do that, including the vital practice of Sabbath rest.

I love Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the familiar text in Matthew 11: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Vv. 28-30)

Today and this week, would you spend some time to reflect and pray about the rhythms in your life? Are you living into the rhythms God has laid out for us, or the rhythms the world has given?

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Val Soto