Graduation

Graduation: a time when your schooling ends and your education begins.

The Little River community is celebrating its graduating students. This Tuesday is the 8th grade recognition ceremony. Yesterday was high school commencement. 30 students graduated, which was a big number for this small Kansas town. And this past Wednesday was the community's Baccalaureate service, with Father Tom Leland as the speaker.

Father Leland and I were good friends during the time he was priest at Little River's Holy Trinity Catholic Church from 2000-2003. He left to join the Army and served as a Chaplain. He talked about experiences as a military chaplain and the message was incredible.

One story he told went something like this:

One day I was walking down a sidewalk at Ft. Benning when I came upon a soldier who was on the ground, hands and knees, next to an oak tree, picking up acorns off the sidewalk, one at a time, and putting them into a bucket. I knew this soldier as brilliant computer technician. Picking up acorns was obviously a task far below his abilities-- a waste of time. When I came upon the soldier, he asked me, "Father, why am I doing this?" Beyond the fact the task assigned by his commanding officer, I didn't have a good answer.

Later, I was transfered to the Middle East. There, a military lawyer told me he was going to prosecute a combat soldier for stealing a lighter. It was a petty crime, but he did it in a combat zone, and for that reason, the accused soldier would end up spending a couple of years in military prison.

It seems harsh, but on the combat field, trust and unity of the unit is everything. One of the objectives of basic training is to root out the "me first" attitude. In the military, your life is totally dependent on your fellow soldier. And their life is totally dependent on you. One wrong move, one selfish move-- like stealing from your fellow soldier-- and the trust of the whole unit weakens and the life of every soldier falls into danger. For this reason, the military seeks to create what Jesus prayed to the Father for his disciples in John 17:22, "that they may be one as we are one."

I never saw again that soldier who was wondering why he was picking up acorns. But if I did, I would tell him, "You're doing it for the privilege of being a part of something bigger and doing something great."

Mother's Day

Many preachers would tell you that Mother's Day is always a challenging sermon. While the Hallmark cards are emotional and sappy, the Bible paints motherhood as it really is--hard work and full of frailities, with Proverbs 31:10-31 expressing its crowning appreciation for all that mother's do.

So after you preach Proverbs 31, where else do you turn?

Yesterday I chose a text that speaks exclusively of the Messiah-- Isaiah 11:1-9.

There, Isaiah sees a vision of Jesus ruling in his soon to be future kingdom. In verses 1-5, Jesus rules with wisdom and righteousness. In verses 6-9, we see his kingdom is characterized by harmony, as illustrated by the wolf the lamb living peaceably together.

When we imitate our Savior and practice the wisdom of righteousness, we bear witness in the here and now to what God will establish in His future kingdom. For mothers then, the application was this: godly mothers who practice godly wisdom make their home a little heaven on earth.

To illustrate the point, I used Edward Hick's painting, "Peaceable Kingdom." In the foreground of the painting is God's future kingdom. The predator and prey live together. Across the ravine of time, in the background, is William Penn making peace with the Indians. The lesson of the painting: make peace today because God will make peace in the future. Be an example today of what God will establish tomorrow.

My Mom likes art. She gave me the inspiration to use Hick's painting. Thanks Mom.

Excerpt from a Funeral Sermon

In Luke 7:36-50, we find a lady who is sitting at Jesus’ feet. She brought with her a pretty thing—perfume. Crying, Luke the gospel writer tells us that the lady, “began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them” (Luke 7:38).

Now the man who was hosting Jesus for dinner was a very religious man—a Pharisee. He was brim and proper. And I’m sure he was surprised when this down-and-out woman comes up to Jesus.

Back in the first century, when important people at a meal together, they often ate in the center of an open courtyard—and people would gather around—at the outer edges—to watch. So when this lady leaves the outer edges, breaks the social norms, and sits down by Jesus’ toes, at the celebrity table, he’s a bit offended. And he says to himself, “If this man Jesus were really a prophet know-it-all, he’d know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a low down sinner.”

The religious man is saying all this to himself, but Jesus knows what he’s thinking, and so he says to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have a story to tell you. Two men owed money to a lender. One owed 500. The other owed 50. Neither of them could repay the money, so the lender canceled the debt.” Then Jesus asked, “Which one will love him more?” Simon gets the point and replies, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” And Jesus says, “Yes, you got it.”

And then, Jesus does something bold. In fact, what Jesus does next is what makes him unique and worthy of our attention. Jesus takes Simon deeper. He reveals to Simon—a religious man—what true spiritual need looks like. He points to the woman at his feet and says, “Simon, this is what real spirituality looks like. It’s admitting your need.”

... Our greatest need is a Savior— someone who will forgive our sins— and restore us to a right relationship with God.

The lady who kneeled at Jesus’ feet— she found the right person. And when you admit your need and kneel at his feet— you too find the right person—for in Jesus, you find God himself.

And at the feet of Jesus, you too can hear these words: “Your sins are forgiven... Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Dear friend, the Bible declares that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Three days later, he rose again. In doing so, he showed the world that God indeed has forgiven us.

Has there ever been a time in your life when you have humbly confessed to Jesus your need—for His forgiveness—of your sins? If so, let this be a day of rejoicing. If you have not yet made this decision, the arms of Jesus are open. He welcomes anyone who will trust in Him. For God delights in forgiving the debt that none of us can repay. Amen.

A Sermon About Sleeping

“This Sermon is…Yawn…Going to Sleep”
August 12, 2007
Pastor Ted Weis
Little River Congregational Church

Today you’re going to hear a sermon about a topic that I bet you’ve never before heard addressed in church. If you listen to preachers on the radio, I’ll bet you’ve never heard them talk about this topic either.

And yet, you will devote about 1/3 of your entire lifetime doing this particular activity. In fact, it’s likely that at one time, you’ve done this activity in the middle of a church service.

Today’s sermon…yawn…is about sleep.

And someone in the pews said to themselves, “Finally, a sermon about what sermons do to me!”

On Thursday I told Jean Galyon that my sermon was about sleep and she responded, “Don’t put us to sleep.”

So why talk about sleep? With all the great issues— like sin and salvation—heaven and hell—that need to be preached— and will be preached from this pulpit, why should we take a Sunday to talk about something as mundane as sleep?

Well, consider this: You will spend about 1/3 of your time on earth snoozing away. For example, if you live 75 years, you will spend about 25 of those years sound asleep. Often in church we talk about the time we are awake— the 2/3 of our life. But is God the Lord over 2/3 of our life or is He Lord over all of our life?

During my two weeks of vacation time, I slept in nearly every day. It felt great. After waking up late one morning, I got to wondering, “Does God in His Word have anything important to say about sleep?” Now that I’m back at work, I did a little study on the subject.

So as we reach the end of summer— the traditional time we carve out time for a little extra sleep— and get ready to start the school year—where we apply ourselves to a disciplined sleep routine— let’s take one Sunday to think about what God’s Word has to say about sleep— that 1/3 part of our life that rarely gets considered.

The first question I wonder about is this: “Lord, why do we need sleep? Why are we— and much of the animal world— made this way?” Interestingly, the Bible doesn’t give any explanation. My best guess is that sleep is simply part of God’s ordained rhythm and routine that God stamped into creation. In Genesis 1-2 we read that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day, God rested.

Sleep is part of the pattern God gave us. Sleep orders our time, divides our time, and gives energy to our waking time. Sleep is part of God’s created order— one aspect of creation that God declared, “Good.”

Physically, you know that sleep rests the body. But did you know that sleep also allows the body to grow and heal? For example, when the brain is idle and free from the duties of consciousness, the body's cells focus on growing, healing, and strengthening the immune system.

With school getting started this week, students should note that those who get a good night’s sleep tend to perform better on tests than those who stay up all night to cram. When your body is asleep, your brain is storing and ordering the information you’ve gathered during your waking hours— what scientists call memory processing. This is also why sometimes you go to bed with a problem and wake up with the solution.

Sleep is very much a physical activity— an earthy activity. We all need it. And even Jesus slept. In Matthew 8 and Mark 4, the Gospels tell us of that time when, after a long day of preaching to the crowds, Jesus was in a boat— deep in sleep.

Unlike some religions— that claim the body is inherently evil, utterly useless, or something to be escaped—the Judeo-Christian faith teaches great respect for the human body. The body is something God made good. At Christmas, when Jesus came down from heaven to earth, he came in human form. As the carol “Away In the Manger” says, “The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.”

The body is physical, but it is spiritual as well. What you do with your body and how you take care of your body matters to God. The Apostle Paul tells believers in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, whom you received from God.”

So for the remainder of this sleepy little message, let’s consider five spiritual principals surrounding the physical activity of sleep.

Here’s the first— and it has to do with everything you do leading up to bedtime. How you live in the day affects how you sleep at night. In Proverbs 3:21-24, the wise father urges his son to live according to godly wisdom. He says: “My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.” And then, the father tells his son the benefits: “Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”

The story is told of a shoplifter who once wrote a department store and said, “I've just become a Christian, and I can't sleep at night because I feel guilty. So here's $100 that I owe you.” Then he cryptically signed his name. And in a little postscript at the bottom he added, “And if I still can't sleep, I'll send you the rest.”

Here’s the Good News from Proverbs: Obey God in the daytime and it’ll lead to better sleep in the nighttime.

Here’s the second principal from Scripture about sleep: When it’s time for bed, take the time to pray.

When I was a child, I prayed the prayer that I now teach my children: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…”

Psalm 4 is a bedtime prayer. After a long distressful day, David turns to God before he goes to bed. In verse 1, David pleads with God for relief from his problems: “Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.” At the end, verse 8, David has found his hope in God and so he declares, “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

Before you go to bed, take the time to pray.

The next truth you’ll hear about sleep is one that surprised me. It’s surprising because my bet is most people don’t think about this aspect of their sleep, yet the Bible devotes significant time to it.

It’s that time between lying down on your bed and the time you eventually fall asleep. And so here’s the principal. # 3. What you think about in bed reveals the deepest longings of your heart. When you’re lying in bed, before you sleep, your mind is thinking about many things— and Scripture reveals it’s often the things you care about most.

It’s very interesting, the Bible often stops to observe this particular moment in bed, for it is there—lying in bed, that the heart ponders, meditates, and plots.

For example in Psalm 63:6-7, the psalmist echoes the thoughts of the righteous: “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings." In contrast, Psalm 36:4 says about the wicked, that, “Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.”

In Today’s Christian Woman, Marilyn Fais says, “I recently wrote to a close friend explaining that I had problems sleeping at night. When her next letter arrived, I learned that she has this problem as well, but uses her wakefulness to pray for loved ones, listing her prayer concerns alphabetically by first names. Now as I drift off, lovingly praying for Adriana, Alan, Amelia, and Amy, I feel surrounded by loved ones and I smile. I'm not just counting sheep ... I'm counting His sheep.”

What do you think about as you lay in bed, before you sleep? Tonight, do as Psalm 4:4 suggests: “When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”

Eventually, you do fall asleep. And at some point in your sleep cycle, you dream. Here’s where we find principal # 4— Sometimes, God speaks to His people in dreams.

This is a fascinating truth—one that I can’t completely understand or explain. The ancient culture of the Egyptians and Babylonians were fascinated with dreams. But the Hebrew people, who wrote our Old Testament— and Christians in the New Testament— they were not so preoccupied with dreams. Still, the Bible has many stories where God speaks to people through dreams.

Ecclesiastes 5:3 tells us that, “dreams come when there are many cares.” Within those many cares, God speaks to people.

For example, in Genesis 28, Jacob sees a ladder reaching up to heaven. And on it, angels are going up and down. And in that vision, Jacob is assured of God’s presence. In 1 Kings 3, God in a dream asks Solomon what he wants as new king of Israel. Solomon says he needs wisdom. In response, God says, “I thought you were going to ask for riches, but since you asked for wisdom, I’ll give you both wisdom and riches.” In the Christmas story, Joseph is about to divorce Mary for infidelity, but in a dream God tells Joseph, “No,” it’s not as it appears. This situation is my doing. Mary is pure and righteous. Take her as your wife.” And in Matthew 27:19, as Pilate is about to condemn Jesus to death on a cross, his wife comes to him and says, “Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” Even today, Joel Rosenberg in his best selling book Epicenter claims that many Muslims are coming to faith in Christ through dreams—being convinced that Jesus Christ is God who came in human form, died on the cross for the sins of the world, and rose again.

It’s mysterious, but dreams are simply one of the ways that God uses to break into our world and speak to people. My only word of application here is this— if God speaks to you in a dream— you’ll know it!

After a time of sleep, we eventually wake up—and so this sermon has come full circle. Here then is a final principal about sleep: God gives you sleep, so you can serve God with strength. Psalm 3:5 declares, “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.” Proverbs 19:15 says, “Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.” Psalm 127:2 declares that while the unbeliever toils day and night to get what he wants, the Lord provides for his people with a regular work day, “for He grants sleep to those He loves.”

The purpose of sleep is rest, but we should not covet sleep to the point of becoming lazy. God gives you sleep so you can have strength for work. So when the daylight comes and you get out of bed, serve the Lord with gladness.

I trust this sermon about sleep has kept you awake and made you think about your sleep and your habits leading up to bedtime. You heard five principals about sleep. Let me now take those five statements and wrap them into one big idea. Here it is: God cares about your sleep.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, it could be due to a moral problem— an issue of sin that you need to admit to God. Confess your sin and 1 John 1:9 promises that God will “forgive your sin and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.” Maybe you’re not sleeping well because you’re worrying about something. The problem is significant and for that reason, it’s a problem best given over to God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33-34: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Or, it’s very possible that your sleeping problem does not have a moral component. Maybe it’s a physical problem— like sleep apnea or problems due to shift work. You might consider visiting your doctor and reviewing the condition of your bed and your bedroom.

Physical rest is important. God cares about your body’s rest. In addition, God also cares about your spirit’s rest.

Worries of the soul often take a toll on the body—and especially the ability to sleep well. Does your body and soul have the rest that comes from knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? He is the God that Psalm 121:4 declares, “Never slumbers or sleeps.” You can trust in His providential care.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us to Himself: “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.”

That promise of rest— it’s for your soul— and it’s also for your body.

There’s an old prayer that the church of old has prayed for its sleep and dreams. I invite you pray it for yourself today:

“Be off, Satan, from this floor and from these four walls. This is no place for you; there is nothing for you to do here. This is the place for Peter and Paul and the holy Gospel; and this is where I mean to sleep now that my worship is done, in the name of the Father and of the Holy Spirit.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ [God] send me your Spirit; instill the wisdom of your Holy Spirit into my heart; protect my soul and body, every limb in my body, every fiber of my being, from all possible harm and all traps the Devil may set for me and every temptation to sin. Teach me to give you thanks, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” [Euchologium Sinaiticum. "Worship in the Early Church," Christian History, Issue 37]

Amen.

This Sermon (and Blog) is On Vacation

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm on vacation until August 6, so I won't be posting anything until then. In the meantime, have a look around at some older posts, or check out this sermon about vacations that I preached a couple years ago.

“This Sermon is On Vacation”
July 17, 2005

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Today, this sermon is on vacation.

At Wednesday’s Board of Trustees meeting, I told the group that on Sunday the sermon would be about vacations. After hearing this, two members said:

“That sound’s interesting, but I’m sorry, I won’t be at church to hear the message. I’ll be gone on vacation.”

I just got back from vacation recently. In June, my family went to two places. The first was a beautiful ranch in far Northwest Illinois, not far from Wisconsin. For three days, we enjoyed a beautiful apartment, a scenic view down into a lush green valley, a small pond that we canoed in every day, and several ranch animals, including a purple peacock that stood out in front of our apartment and opened his glorious feathers for us to admire.

The second part of our trip was to Cincinnati, Ohio to see my Mom and Dad, along with my sister and her family. We went to the zoo; we went swimming; we ate and visited with extended family. I got to play golf a couple of times with my dad. I caught up with some old friends. Best of all, my wife Melissa and I had an entire day to ourselves. The kids stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and watched Disney movies. We went out on the town and enjoyed a romantic dinner together.

I’m back from vacation and this week I’m going to Camp White to help people have fun on their vacation. I’ll be one of the counselor’s working with a group of developmentally disabled adults. My fingers are going to get raw and sore from playing guitar all week long. I leave today and come back Friday afternoon. It’ll be a lot of work, but it’ll be fun too.

Between coming back from vacation and going to serve people on vacation, I got to thinking:

“Are vacations even spiritual? Do they please God? Or, are vacations simply one more expensive, self-indulgent activity of our western, secular society?”

In the words of Tod Bolsinger, pastor of San Clemente Presbyterian Church:

“In a world where so many people are confirmed (even proudly so) workaholics, where so many people don’t know how to spend a day off, let alone two weeks, is it possible to recreate in a way that is distinctly Christian?”

Our culture likes to think about rest and recreation first and work second, but as Christians, we need to think first about work and then rest. We see this pattern in the opening chapter of the book of Genesis. There, we see God working, creating creation. And from the Lord’s own example, we see that daily work produces a pace and rhythm in our soul.

Imagine listening to the sputtering of an old tractor. “Putt- putt- putt- pa- putt- putt- putt- pa.” As we hear Genesis and hear God working, we hear a working rhythm.

On days 1-2, there is a single work of creation. On day 3, there are two works of creation. On days 4-5, there again is a single work of creation. Then, on day 6, there again are two works of creation.

1- 2- 3- 3- 4- 5- 6- 6.

Author and pastor Eugene Peterson, in his book, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, says that:

“The most prominent feature of Genesis is its rhythmic structure…(and when you think about it), we are people immersed in rhythms.”

Sunrise, sunset makes one day. 7 days a week. 4 weeks a month. In a month, the moon circles the earth. In 12 months, the earth circles the sun. Within that year are four seasons that come in predictable, rhythmic pace—summer, fall, winter, and spring.

Physically, we live out rhythms of pulse and breath. Our hearts beat steady. Our lungs expand and contrast. I went jogging yesterday and heard the rhythm of my breath with the rhythm of my steps.

Work has a rhythm of its own too, doesn’t it? We get up at a set time, we do our morning chores, we eat lunch, and we work in the afternoon, until we are done. We eat the evening meal. We relax a little until bed. And we wake up the next day to do the same thing all over again.

We work 5, 6, or 7 days a week, and do it for 50+ weeks a year. I don’t know about you, but after a while, the rhythm and the pace of work wears me out. Right about the time VBS comes around the first week of June, I’m wore out. I’m ready for a break—a change of rhythm—a change of pace.

And that’s what we find in the book of Genesis.

For 6 days, we read that God works, but on the 7th day, the rhythm changes dramatically.

Listen:

2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

For the first 6 days, God works, but on the 7th, he does not—a change of pace. Of interest too is how the author of Genesis mentions the seventh day 3 times. Listen: (read 2:2-3 again). For the other six days, he only says them one time each. But the 7th day, he mentions it 3 times. Again, there’s a change of rhythm, a change of pace.

1- 2- 3- 3- 4- 5- 6- 6- 7- 7- 7.

There’s one other very important detail to consider too about the 7th day. By the end of the 6th day, God has finished His work. So what does God do on the 7th day? Two things. First, God blessed the 7th day and second, He made it holy. In other words, God set this day apart—He purposely made it different.

What is its purpose? It’s for a change of rhythm, a change of pace. It’s for rest. Isn’t it interesting that in the 10 Commandments, the 10 greatest, overarching commands God gives humanity, 1 of those 10 commands says, “Observe the Sabbath.” Take a day for worship and rest because—and the commandment says in Exodus 20—“For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth…but on He rested on the 7th day.”

So let me ask you a question, are you as serious about rest as God is?

In days 1-6, daily work produces a pace and rhythm in our soul. But on day 7, God commands a change of pace. If that’s not a heavenly endorsement for an earthly vacation, I don’t know what is! You need to work, but you also need a time to rest. You need rest because after a while, the rhythm of work grinds on you and your soul. Work without rest wears you out.

Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, makes a keen observation. He says that out of your day, you ought to take a break. Out of your week, you ought take off a day. And out of your year, you ought, at the least, take off a week.

Since this sermon is on vacation, how can you make your vacation more than just a self-centered event, but a Christ honoring event for you and your family--one that refreshes your soul, expands your awareness of creation, and creates lasting memories?

Well, as that immortal movie starring Chevy Chase called Vacation illustrates, it’s not easy. But here are few suggestions I’ve learned from experience.

The first idea concerns money. Manage your money. Don’t let it manage you.

Before you leave for vacation, make a budget. I’ve learned this the hard way. You know, vacation is all about getting away from it all. A change of pace. Well, one of things I wanted to get away from was my bills and my checking account. I’ve got Visa packed me. It doesn’t matter what I might have forgotten. I’m on vacation. And I’m going to spend money!

And then, after I get home, the bill comes. Page after page. Charge and charge. How many of you go on vacation—and then come home to debtors’ prison? Go on vacation, but don’t let the vacation follow you home!

Next time, make a budget. This last trip Melissa and I did something for the very first time in our life. We kept the credit card in our pocket the entire trip. We didn’t use it once. All we used was cash and our debt card. And when we got home, we didn’t have Visa statement waiting for us. That was a good feeling.

Here’s another suggestion about money before you go on vacation. Get your offering to the church. Churches really suffer from the lack of giving during the summer time. Ours is no different. Don’t spend God’s portion of your money on yourself. It belongs to Him. So before you go, give your gift, or send it to the church.

Here’s a third suggestion about money. This one will save you some vacation cash. I read this in a magazine. Think about what you want to do, rather than where you want to go. For example, if you want to go to Disney World to ride rides and see shows, you can probably do that dollar for dollar cheaper by going to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO.

A final thought about money. If you’re just plain broke and can’t go anywhere, come talk to me. We have local camps in this area. I’ll get you in one of them. You too need a change of pace—and can get it.

This is my second big suggestion. Pace yourself. You’re going on vacation for a change of pace. But don’t over do it. Don’t cram so much activity you’re your schedule that you come home exhausted. How many of us have come home from vacation—and then needed a vacation from the vacation? Cross some things off from your list. Decide what you can and can’t do.

A third big suggestion is this—relax and expect problems. Melissa can tell you how much I love leaving several hours late for vacation (groan). One summer vacation we were going to Colorado. And we agreed, “Let’s get up at 4:00am, we’ll be out by 6:00pm and we’ll be in Denver by 2:00-3:00pm.”

Amazingly, we did get up at 4:00am. We were awakened not by our alarm clock, but the town siren— along with a torrential rain and booming thunder. We ran down to the basement— thinking there was tornado. And as we were down there, I (groan) said to Melissa, “You know, if we left now, we would just be driving in a massive storm from here to the Colorado border. Let’s just go back to bed.”

I don’t have the biblical gift of prophecy, but I can assuredly tell you this: Your vacation will not go as planned! So expect problems—work around them and just relax.

My final suggestion for a good vacation is this: Bring along you Bible and if it’s Sunday, go attend a church worship service.

When we were in Cincinnati, we went to two different churches—the Lutheran Church I grew up in, which my parents are still active members, and also to a nearby church that offers a sharp contemporary worship service. Each service was enjoyable, in part, because it was different than our worship here.

When you visit a new church, you get to see how others worship. You get to experience a different part of the body of Christ. You see that God's kingdom is big and diverse. And you never know-- you might also get some ideas about how our own worship service can be improved.

You can go to church. And in many places, the church is going to your vacation spot. An article in the July 9th Hutchinson News describes how many churches and denominations are holding services at camp grounds, beaches, and resorts. Churches are doing this because when we go on vacation, we’re open to new ideas. We’re looking for rest.

Pastor Tod Bolinger confesses that for him, it’s easier to spend time outdoors with nature than to sit in a chair and read the Scriptures. Nature is so inspirational and the Bible is…well, just a book.

And yet, as Bolinger writes on his blog:

“Mountains are beautiful but they don’t teach me how to live my life. A geyser is breathtaking but won’t help me keep my promises. A shooting star can stir my soul but not transform it. A dolphin has never offered me wisdom…That’s why experiences, even spiritual experiences are insufficient by themselves. Inspiration is not enough. Creation is not enough. I need revelation. I need guidance from God, a light for my steps.”

He goes on to say:

“If you are a person who finds it so easy to connect to God in nature, then take this one small step: respond to that inspiration by being faithful in Sunday worship. Let the inspiration "out there" lead you to be more regular in church. When creation inspires us, let’s respond with giving worship to the Creator and opening our souls to His instruction.”

“Never forget that Psalm 119, Psalm 19, and all the Psalms were songs of worship. They are hymns that were sung, poems that were read, prayers that were offered. People who had seen the beauty of the earth, the glory of the skies didn’t just climb a mountain peak and stay there. They didn’t just swim in the seas or meander through a meadow. When the beauty of creation moved them, they brought those experiences with them back to their community that gathered to worship God. The inspiration of creation led them to give praise and thanks to the Creator in the community (of worship).”

“Worship joins awe and instruction. Worship teaches us to respond to inspiration with dedication. Worship connects our personal experience to a faithful community…Let the wonder of creation lead you to the Word of Revelation.”

Which leads to the second point of this last suggestion: Bring along your Bible and read it—outside.

Bolinger contends:

"This is not a gimmick. It’s a deeply biblical way of cultivating a deeper spiritual life. In his book, Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas reminds us that the Bible is meant to be read outside (p. 37).”

“The people of the scriptures were inspired by rushing rivers and green meadows as they described life with God. When the psalmists look to the mountains for their help, they were probably looking at actual mountains. When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, he was not standing on a carpeted chancel. When he spoke of lilies of the field and fig trees and the birds of the air, its safe to presume that he actually pointed at those things and didn’t use a picture on a PowerPoint screen.”

In days 1-6, daily work produces a pace and rhythm in our soul.

But on day 7, God commands a change of pace.

You need to work, but you also need to rest.

That’s why this sermon was on vacation.

Have a nice trip.