Leslee Donovan Painting

As I leave on vacation, I am reflecting on this painting by Leslie Donovan, a talented member of Resurrection.  The simple joy of children being together is what I think vacation and Sabbath are all about.  The children are smiling as they prepare to share a meal together.  The painting invites me to share in that joy and to be present in the moment.  I am encouraged to be at peace in the simple pleasures of life.

God gave us the Sabbath for our benefit.  It is  a means to restore and revive us in our relationships with God, others and creation.

Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that is in them, but rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it (Exodus 20:8,11)

Wayne Muller has written an excellent book called Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives.  In a chapter called “A New Beginning” he writes,

The ancient rabbis teach that on the seventh day, God created menuha — tranquility, serenity, peace, and repose — rest, in the deepest possible sense of fertile, healing, stillness. Until the Sabbath, creation was unfinished.  Only after the birth of menuha, only with tranquility and rest, was the circle of creation made full and complete. (p. 37)

This week I am seeking the menuha, the peace of God.

How do find rest?

Lord Jesus, grant me rest in you.