July 2005
"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place
and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a
solitary place. Mark
6:
31-32 (NIV)
Dear Saints’,
Mark's gospel tells us how Jesus sent the twelve out for their first
missionary trip and upon their return they were tired and hungry. "Come
with me to a quiet place and get some rest." We have come to the end of
the school year and many will be off at one time or another for summer
vacation. Everyone needs rest and recreation at some point, even Jesus.
He often withdrew to a secluded place to pray and be refreshed. Though
the world would like to make us believe we can go 24/7/365, God built
the need for rest into our very being. Even God rested from all of the
work he had done on the seventh day. Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made
for man, not man for the Sabbath." I pray that we all will find rest and
refreshment over the next months.
Notice that when Jesus called his disciples to
rest, he said, "Come with me." Often we think of the summer months as a
time to get away from it all, but we will never find true rest unless we
go with Jesus. We can never take a vacation from God, nor should we ever
neglect worship, prayer, and ministry. During the summer we will offer
fewer formal programs and things will slow down a bit, but be assured
that true rest can only come when we are closely connected to the Lord,.
Where does true rest come from? Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are
weary, and I will give you rest."
If we continue to look at the story from Mark's
gospel, we notice that the disciples' quiet get away did not last very
long. As they were attempting to go away large crowds followed them.
Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion on them and what followed was
the feeding of the 5000. It may be vacation time, but the work of God
never takes a vacation. We will continue to worship, pray, and respond
to the needs of the congregation. Fixed expenses also continue
throughout the summer, and in light of our already tenuous financial
situation I urge you all to be extra generous during the next few
months. Traditionally, we suffer sever cash flow problems from July to
September, so I ask that everyone maintain their level of giving, or
increase it if possible, so we can enter the fall with a full had of
steam.
May God bless you and may you find rest in Christ,
Fr. David +
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