Summer Break Pack Up Tyler Stricklan July 7th, 2024 Resting from the daily grind without drifting from God. Everyone needs a break from life, but no one benefits from taking a break from God. Overview of 4 weeks: 1. Pack Up - Resting & Working. 2. Leave Everything - Contemplating & Praying 3. Eat well - Fasting & Getting. 4. Party Hard - Feasting & Gathering. Which would you rather have more of: rest or work? Two Types of Travelers 1. Boy/Girl Scout : Books flights, has the itinerary, maps out all the spots, packs 15 pairs of underwear for a 3 day trip. 2. Wanderlust: Knows nothing of the plan, here for the party, forgot to pack any underwear at all. How do you define Rest? The Hebrew word Shabbat or Sabbath = Rest The 4th Commandment is to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” We are created to Work then Rest Work and Rest is Preparation Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” We have to prepare ourselves to take a break. Work and Rest is Resistance Matthew 12:1-8 At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them… haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?... For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:11–12. He replied to them, “Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out? A person is worth far more than a sheep; so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.” We have to fight against our own legalism. Jesus often worked on the Sabbath But… Jesus often took naps and had quiet time Work and Rest delight in God. John 5:17-19 Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” … Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things. “Our job is to make the invisible God visible — to mirror and mimic what he is like to the world. We can glorify God by doing our work in such a way that we make the invisible God visible by what we do and how we do it.” ― John Mark Comer, Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human. Next Steps: 1. Do something fun this summer. a. Take a Wednesday off work and go to Tahoe with your kids. b. Do whatever you wouldn’t normally do to enjoy what you love 2. Find a work and rest rhythm a. Creation: 6 days work, 1 day enjoying it. b. We say no to something, so we can say yes to something better 3. Implement a Sabbath practice in your life. a. Start with a couple hours a week doing something that brings you joy b. Work up to a full day with yourself and others joining you. Next Steps: 1. Do something fun this summer. 2. Find a work and rest rhythm 3. Implement a Sabbath practice in your life.