Today’s sermon topic is on the place of rest in the Christian life, with a particular focus on resting 1 day in 7. Yet what does the Bible say about prolonged rest; i.e. going on holidays?
Well to begin with, God commanded the Israelites have at least 3 annual holidays each year, when they would leave their homes and travel to Jerusalem for one of the 3 annual festivals. This meant whole families would leave their fields or businesses behind for over a week, taking into account travel time, to worship the Lord with the rest of the nation.
We know that Jesus took vacations as well. In Luke chapter 9, Jesus sends his disciples out to work; ‘to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick’ (v. 2). When they return from their work in v. 10, Jesus takes them to a quiet town called Bethsaida, to rest. Periodic rest was important to Jesus, as he regularly withdrew to solitary places himself (e.g. Mat 14:13; Luke 5:16).
Like everything in the Bible, God’s commands are not arbitrary. God wants his people to take regular holidays for very good reasons. Modern science tells us prolonged periods without rest can have serious effects on a person; particularly their judgment and behaviour. For example, there is a concerning correlation in church ministers between failing to take time off and falling into sexual sin.
As such, Christians should not feel guilty about taking regular holidays. It is more of a problem to NOT take holidays, or perhaps take work away with you on holidays. Holidays are of utmost importance to our health and well being as humans. Jesus himself recognised the need to stop and recharge his batteries every once in a while. So may we ensure we are planning periodic rest into our lives, as well as resting 1 day in 7.
