“There is the sea, great and wide; creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. There go the ships and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.”
Psalm 104:25-26
Memorial Day came and went, with prayers and remembrances and gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice made by so many who have gone before us. Now that we’ve rendered up the honor due the occasion, we indulge in more trifling matters. Though I live in Florida where you can wear white at any time of the year, I still follow the white after Memorial Day rule for shoes. So out they came yesterday.
Regardless of what the calendar says, we former Midwesterners mark the season of summer as Memorial Day to Labor Day. We’re still surprised that most parts of the country take maybe six to eight weeks for summer break, and then back to school for the children. We recognize that for most of us, a rural life with all-hands-on-deck to work the farm has ended. Still, we feel a little sorry for the kids back in their desks too soon. But not yet.
The Bible blessedly grants sabbath rest from all our labors, whether from the social round, or physical or mental work. How grand that the psalmist praises God for creating immeasurable seas in which both leviathan and ship may play.
Your little boat for the summer may sail, or putz up the river to fish. Your little boat may have wings to fly, sending you airborne to dance into the inverted blue of sky. Or your little boat may be a golf cart, humming about haplessly before the heat of the day overtakes pleasure.
We’re tempted to carry our burdens and griefs into the month of June, in hopes that we’ll work out whatever sorrow remains. Resist at all costs. Say your prayers and ask God to hold onto your troubles while you faithfully do not much of anything. You won’t miss your burdens much. And you might just discover that when God returns them to you, shaken loose and scattered by God’s gift of play, only joy remains.
Prayer: Holy One, thank you for sending me a personal invitation to Sabbath. Grant me the grace to accept it as your gift for life. Amen
God’s grace, mercy and joy,
Dr. Anna V. Copeland,
Senior Minister, The Community Church of Vero Beach, Florida
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