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Sundays of Hope and Joy

As our Lenten journey enters its final days, we see the city of Jerusalem in the distance and we know what is coming soon. Like Peter, we may feel the impulse to avoid what lies ahead (Matthew 16:22), but we know it can’t be avoided. Jesus is resolute. He invites us to be the same.

But before we continue our journey, today is Sunday, another “mini-Easter” break in our 40 day fast of meditation, repentance, and remembrance. On Sundays we are reminded that the journey to the cross does not end at the cross, and we rejoice in that truth with all that we are.

On Sundays, as is appropriate and biblical, we are also invited to cease our laboring. It is a “Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9), a time of refreshing in the presence of the one who loves us most. But we don’t always enter into that rest, if we’re honest. We may find it hard to embrace at any time of year, but perhaps it’s even a bit harder during Lent. Our desire to be resolute and committed can be hard to switch off and put aside. In fact, if we’re not careful, Sabbath-keeping can become the very last thing it was meant to be: a burden.

In the words of writer K.C. Ireton, Sabbath is soaking ourselves—or, rather, letting ourselves be soaked—in the unmerited, unmeritable grace of God. That is a good truth to embrace during Lent, one which, if we let it sink in deep, will impact our experience of Sabbath at any season of the calendar.

It is also a good truth to embrace in light of the past few years. In the great upheavals happening in our world, many of us have found ourselves in a “forced Sabbath,” and the irony is that times of inactivity or unwanted stillness may be some of the hardest in which to find true Sabbath rest. Another unfortunate reality is that in times of hardship and despair, when we perhaps need Sabbath rest the most, we are often most likely to ignore its call and gift.

Today, wherever you may find yourself, you are invited to soak in that gift, in the Sabbath rest to which God calls you. Today you’re invited to hear spoken to you the same invitation Jesus gave to his disciples:

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”—Mark 6:31 (NIV)

Scripture for Meditation:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
—Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV)

Song: Lord May Our Resting (lyrics here)

Questions for Reflection

How are you at receiving the gift and grace of Sabbath rest? Does it ever seem a burden to you? Or do you ever struggle with a resistance to entering it fully? Bring your current experience of Sabbath to God in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to take you further into the rest God has for you in this day.
Spend some time sitting with this invitation from Jesus: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Break it down phrase by phrase and pay attention to the movement of your soul in each part of what he says: “Come with me.” “By yourselves.” “To a quiet place.” “And get some rest.”
Spend some time reflecting on these phrases from today’s song, letting them stir a response of worship and prayer in your spirit:
May this, your Sabbath, be worship divine,
A temple of peace, a cathedral of time;
For whether a minute, an hour or a day you
Hallow the moments we rest in your name.