Pastor's Message
June 2023
Rest
As we move into the summer months, thoughts of rest come to mind. Perhaps it is rest following a long, hard school year. Perhaps it is rest following all of the efforts put into our Anniversary Celebration. Perhaps it is the rest of a week or weekends up north with the feet up and a cold beverage in one’s hand. Then again, maybe there is no rest for the weary.
God understands rest. In Genesis 1, we are told that the Lord made all that exists in six days. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” Work first, then rest.
Furthermore, we are told, “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (1:3) With those words, God established a precedent which would be codified in the Mosaic law. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11)
The word ‘sabbath’ actually means ‘rest.’ God, knowing the needs of his people, established a day of rest. Modern science has confirmed what we already knew from God, we need rest. We need physical rest. Our bodies need time to recover. You can only go so long before the body breaks down. Rest remains an important part of our daily and weekly lives.
But more than physical rest, with also need spiritual and emotional rest. Emotionally, the mind and the heart need time to process, understand, and accept events in our lives. The brain is a complicated organ, and our nightly sleep is an important part of our mental health. So is exercise. So is a healthy diet. So is our time with the Lord.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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) The rest he is talking about is more than just physical or emotional. He ultimately is talking about the spiritual rest that we have through the forgiveness of our sins, the rest for our souls.
When asked about eating hand-picked grain on the Sabbath, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28) As special as the Old Testament Sabbath was, it was incomplete. It could not truly offer all that was necessary for rest. Only in Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, do we have true rest.
So, even as we participate in our various forms of rest, even as we take our vacations, enjoy our weekends, and rest from our labors, don’t forget that true rest—rest for the soul—only comes through Jesus. Don’t get me wrong; I love my vacations as much as anyone. But a vacation is not a rest from Jesus. Jesus is the rest that gives meaning to all things, including our vacations. Remember to stay connected to him.
The WELS website has a church-locater page (https://yearbook.wels.net/unitsearch) where you can search for local WELS churches wherever your travels might take you. It even tells you service times and locations. And even if there is no WELS church near you, we still record our services, and you can watch them online.
Finally, remember that we will not truly be at rest until the Lord takes us to heaven. Until then, let us enjoy the foretaste of heaven in the rest that we share.
~ Pastor Ben Golisch
Rest
As we move into the summer months, thoughts of rest come to mind. Perhaps it is rest following a long, hard school year. Perhaps it is rest following all of the efforts put into our Anniversary Celebration. Perhaps it is the rest of a week or weekends up north with the feet up and a cold beverage in one’s hand. Then again, maybe there is no rest for the weary.
God understands rest. In Genesis 1, we are told that the Lord made all that exists in six days. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” Work first, then rest.
Furthermore, we are told, “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (1:3) With those words, God established a precedent which would be codified in the Mosaic law. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11)
The word ‘sabbath’ actually means ‘rest.’ God, knowing the needs of his people, established a day of rest. Modern science has confirmed what we already knew from God, we need rest. We need physical rest. Our bodies need time to recover. You can only go so long before the body breaks down. Rest remains an important part of our daily and weekly lives.
But more than physical rest, with also need spiritual and emotional rest. Emotionally, the mind and the heart need time to process, understand, and accept events in our lives. The brain is a complicated organ, and our nightly sleep is an important part of our mental health. So is exercise. So is a healthy diet. So is our time with the Lord.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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) The rest he is talking about is more than just physical or emotional. He ultimately is talking about the spiritual rest that we have through the forgiveness of our sins, the rest for our souls.
When asked about eating hand-picked grain on the Sabbath, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28) As special as the Old Testament Sabbath was, it was incomplete. It could not truly offer all that was necessary for rest. Only in Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, do we have true rest.
So, even as we participate in our various forms of rest, even as we take our vacations, enjoy our weekends, and rest from our labors, don’t forget that true rest—rest for the soul—only comes through Jesus. Don’t get me wrong; I love my vacations as much as anyone. But a vacation is not a rest from Jesus. Jesus is the rest that gives meaning to all things, including our vacations. Remember to stay connected to him.
The WELS website has a church-locater page (https://yearbook.wels.net/unitsearch) where you can search for local WELS churches wherever your travels might take you. It even tells you service times and locations. And even if there is no WELS church near you, we still record our services, and you can watch them online.
Finally, remember that we will not truly be at rest until the Lord takes us to heaven. Until then, let us enjoy the foretaste of heaven in the rest that we share.
~ Pastor Ben Golisch