“You are to labor six days, but you must rest on the seventh day; you must even rest during plowing and harvesting times.” [Exodus 34:21]

Did you have a restful Memorial Day? It was quite nice to have no meetings or appointments or specific things that I had to do. Taking a breather when you have been red-lining is very welcome.

From the Beginning, we have been instructed to rest, to take a Sabbath, to make sure one day in seven is “off.” Do you? Quite honestly, I used to be much better at obeying this Command. (It is one of the Big Ten, you know!)

Taking one’s Sabbath is vital both physically and spiritually.

To rest—giving our bodies (and emotions) a break.

To reflect—assessing how we are doing with things (our work, our relationships, etc.). “The LORD God rested and saw that it was good…”

To rely—taking a break, even one day in seven, is truly an act of faith. It’s our way of saying, “I can accomplish in six days (by obeying and relying on the Lord) what it would take me seven days in my own strength to do.” See above: “Even during plowing season…” I tell students that means even during exam week, take a break and rely on the Lord as you prepare for your tests. CPAs, that applies to tax season, too.

Oh, and one more thing—Jesus is ultimately our Sabbath rest. We come to him by faith and rest from all the working and sacrifices and religious duties we have been doing to try and appease God. Jesus was clear: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works (Hebrews 4:9–10). Have you?

Are you aware of “The Bible Project”? Among other things, these creative and well-researched folks do a great job of putting themes and books of the Bible in clever, memorable videos. Here is their video on Sabbath.

For your reading accompaniment
I found the “Sabbath Hymn” by these amazing voices from Aeolian University.

Happy trails to…
Rafa
Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal was bid adieu in Paris on Saturday. Finally retiring, the tournament (Roland Garros in Paris) which he dominated throughout his career (winning it 14 times) paid tribute to its greatest champion ever. With the three other greats of men’s tennis as part of the ceremony (Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray), the event felt like the closing of a chapter in professional tennis history.

Norm!
Actor George Wendt passed away last week. Famously of the sitcom Cheers, Wendt’s character Norm embodied the camaraderie and theme song of Cheers: “Sometimes you wanna go / Where everybody knows your name.” Every time Norm walked into the bar, everyone there would shout “Norm!”

Kay Arthur
The founder of the very effective and well-known “Precepts Ministry International” died last week at age 91. So many people for so many years were impacted by her teaching and ministry of Bible-study writing. “When you know what God says…you will be equipped for every circumstance of life,” Arthur would say.

Tim Keller (two years ago)
The anniversary of this popular New York City pastor and eloquent contender for the Christian faith not only accentuated for me how fast time goes by but also how much I miss Keller’s biblical wisdom and insights. On Sunday I referred extensively to his book Counterfeit Gods. If you haven’t read it, I would strongly urge you to put it on your summer reading list. Here is my message from Sunday on “The Idols Who Steal Hope.”

Mine was to be linked with Augustine, too!
Pope Leo’s doctoral dissertation from forty years ago dealt with St. Augustine’s view on the place of power and authority in Christian leadership.

From his paper: “There is no room in Augustine’s concept of authority for one who is self-seeking and in search of power over others,” the future pope wrote in one passage. “The exercise of authority in any Christian community requires the setting aside of all self-interest and a total dedication to the good of the community.”

(My Ph.D. topic [unfinished] was the influence of Classical Rhetoric in the preaching and writing of the Apostle Paul. Augustine, classical rhetorician that he was, would have agreed with my premise.)

Politics-free zone?
The Church? Yes and no. With the prevalence of personalities like Franklin Graham and Vice President J.D. Vance and Al Mohler inserting their voices in the politics/church arena, that question never loses relevancy.

A few thoughts: A politics-free zone—we say “yes” in the sense that no church or Christian leader should uncritically parrot the views of a particular party or political philosophy. The ideas and positions of the Church and its members must transcend political ideologies and speak Truth into power, not conveniently assent to it.

But also—it’s a “no” in the sense that governmental politics is intrinsically moral, and so is the Christian faith. They will necessarily intersect. This necessarily means that the Church ought to be alternately taking stands that at times align with one side “of the aisle” and conversely the other side at times. But it is Jesus’s Gospel that sets the Church’s agenda. One couldn’t find a better place of reference than The Sermon on the Mount.

Transcending the parties is the key. To winsomely speak into issues with authority, regardless of the “sides” they represent, is what keeps the Church and its leaders timelessly relevant and out of the back pockets of any party.

The Church is not the member of any man’s party and knows no national borders. There is much more to her than moral and political positions and opinions. The Church is the supernatural embodiment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and therefore is to be a miraculous picture of the Kingdom of Christ in this fallen world.

Public signs, without comment