It's the Most Bu-u-sy Time of the Year!
Busy. Busy. Busy. December seems to get busier every year. Christmas shopping is already in full swing. You may have several Christmas parties you have to attend. The kids are getting overexcited about the upcoming break. It seems like you never have enough time. If only December had 41 days instead of 31.
Busy. Busy. Busy. Things are getting busier around Atonement, too. We start midweek Advent services this month. The Children's Christmas Service is coming up (yes, another thing for the kids to do). We have services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There doesn't seem to be any time for you to rest.
This Advent and Christmas season, remember Jesus came to give you peace. The angels declared on that Christmas night, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14). His promises peace "not as the world gives," a temporary peace that doesn't last, but his peace (John 14:27), the forgiveness of sins and the promise of an eternal place of rest. He invites you to come to him, weary as you are and burdened, and he will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).
In the beginning, God created the whole world in six days, and on the seventh day he rested. For this reason, he gave the seventh day as a day of rest to his people, the Israelites (Exodus 20:11), calling it the Sabbath day. The word Sabbath means "rest." On that day, the Israelites were to rest from their work and worship their God. Now that Jesus has come, we live continually on that Sabbath day, the day of rest (Hebrews 4:7). Today, not just one day of the week, but every day, is the day of rest. We may rest because Jesus has brought us the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life.
As we rest on this Sabbath Day*, we await the coming of the eighth day** when Jesus will return to bring us to live in not only a new week, but a new world where we will rest forever.
* Every day is now a day of Sabbath because we rest in Jesus.
** The imagery of the eighth day is a common illustration in the ancient Church of the future age Christ will bring with his Second Coming. This is the reason why many baptismal fonts (including Atonement's) have eight sides. At Baptism, we look forward to the coming eighth day, when Christ will make all things new.