From the Pastor

Rest with Us

I always giggle a little knowing that church activities (and many outside the church too) start after Labor Day. Labor Day was officially made a national holiday by President Grover Cleveland in 1894, after it had been celebrated by as many as 23 states in the decade preceding its official recognition. Whether we realize it or not, we still practice Labor Day according to its original intent, to remember and celebrate our labor. Maybe it’s entirely appropriate that we do start new labor after celebrating Labor Day.

How does Labor Day fit in the life of the church? It can be more than just a day on the calendar that we wait for before starting programs. Have you ever heard that every Sunday is a “little Easter”? In a similar vein, we could also say that every Sunday is a little Labor Day! If Labor Day is a time set aside to celebrate and remember our labor, then Sunday is a day set aside to remember and celebrate the labor of Jesus for us. Our time set aside in weekly worship is completely centered on God, celebrating His work for us and receiving that work again and again. God comes to us in Jesus for one purpose, to labor on our behalf, giving us exactly what we need.

One this is abundantly clear throughout all the Bible Story; God comes for people who are tired and weary from their labors. The labor of sin, worry, fear, pain, loneliness, doubt, and hurt are the labors that Jesus came to relieve us of. “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This is why Jesus came, to give us the gift of His eternal rest. Another way to read this is that Jesus “will cause us to rest.” Let church be a resting place, a place set aside and different from everything else in this world, a place that God has designed for the sole purpose of filling our souls with Himself. Let church be what God intended it to be, a place where God fulfills His promise, “I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish” (Jeremiah 31:25).

So, as we turn the calendar to the month of September, allow God to cause you to rest, let Him force you into His resting arms. Come to Jesus daily in His Word, weekly in worship, and again in church activities. Prayerfully consider what new Bible study, event, or activity God is leading you to rest within this season. It’s not meant to be another labor added to the schedule, it’s a celebration of Jesus’ labor for you, a celebration that practices eternity now even as we journey to eternal celebrated rest.

Your resting brother in Christ,
Pastor Zach Sarrault