The ever-quotable evangelist Vance Havner once said this: “Come ye yourselves part… and rest a while is a must for every Christian. If you don’t come apart, you will come apart!” Havner was commenting about what Jesus told His apostles after they’d come back from an extended mission. When they had completed their assignments, Mark’s Gospel says,

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (Mark 6:30-31)

Jesus knew that His disciples could not sustain a never-ending schedule of work and dealing with people without times of rest. So, after a particularly busy time, in effect He said to them, “Let’s get away for a while!”

As I write this Rae Anne and I are about to start two weeks of vacation. Some of it we have planned. Some of it we’re going to make up as we go. Then after the vacation I have a long-awaited surgery scheduled on my right hand. That likely means I will be out of the pulpit for three consecutive Sundays. (I can’t really preach very well while on OxyContin. I can’t really think very well on OxyContin.)

Some years ago, the church voted to give me five weeks of sabbatical every so often. The first time I took a sabbatical I didn’t really have anything planned, and let me tell you, that’s too long without anything to do! A few years later I took a second sabbatical. That time my son and I went to Israel with a study group from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I had a week to prepare, three weeks for the study tour, and a week to recover. (Actually, it took longer than a week to recover!) That was a great way to “come apart” from the normal routine.

Alternating periods of work and rest are built into our world. The earth has alternating periods of light and darkness. Before the invention of electric light, it was much easier to work in the day and rest during the night. Our bodies have a built- in need to rest that forces us to spend several hours out of every twenty- four sleeping. Our hearts beat, for most of us, for decades without stopping. And yet, the heart rests between each heartbeat. That’s the only way it can keep going for so long. Even for swimmers, there is a brief moment of rest in every stroke, what swimming instructor Steven Shaw calls a moment of “non-doping.”

By example and command, God told us to take one day out of seven to rest from our labors. Many mock this idea and ignore its wisdom… and eventually pay the price physically. The command to keep the Sabbath was the only one of the Ten Commandments that wasn’t repeated in the New Testament. Spiritually speaking, Jesus is now our Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:9-10.) Trusting in what He did for us on the cross, we can now cease from our own futile efforts to please God and rest in the grace and forgiveness Jesus gives us (Romans 5:1;8:1). But we don’t have to get hung up on Old Testament legalism to recognize that the principle of one day of rest out of every seven still stands.

Sometimes people say, “I never take any time off!” So, you know better than God? Then there’s the retort, “The devil never takes a day off!” Well, the devil doesn’t have a physical body, and whose example are you following, anyways?

I once heard an old Southern Baptist preacher named G.D. Watson say, “The devil wants you to go pell-mell and not wait for anything. But Jesus in always quiet, and He is always calm and always takes His time.”

Mark Mittelberg once took a position on staff at a large church. Before he started, he called up an older friend of his for advice. His mentor told him, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Mittelberg said, “Okay, got it, that’s great. What else?” And his friend said, “There is nothing else. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” And Mittelberg said that, after a while, he came to deeply appreciate the wisdom of those words.

I love to preach and teach God’s Word. That satisfaction I derive from preaching dwarfs the satisfaction I get from playing music, and believe me, that’s saying something. I get a lot of satisfaction from playing music, especially with other people.

But there are times when it feels like I’ve told everything I know that it can’t possibly be time again already to prepare another sermon or lesson, and besides, you haven’t been paying attention anyway. When you get bored with my preaching, you can take a nap, pass notes or go to the bathroom. But I’m stuck: if I’m bored with my preaching. I have to stand there and listen to myself. (One Easter Sunday some years ago, I stopped in the middle of my sermon, looked down at my notes, and thought, “I am so bored with my own preaching. If I could do it without anybody noticing, I’d go home right now!”)

My brother Steve, who is also a pastor, told me years ago that a preacher needs to take two weeks off consecutively every now and then. He said the first week you are so glad you don’t have to preach and teach and prepare. But sometime during the second week you start thinking, “Man, I can’t wait to preach again!” He’s right. That’s exactly how it works.

Henry Ward Beecher was a famous preacher in 19th century who spoke out against slavery. People would come from all over the country to hear him preach in his church in New York City. One Sunday he was gone, and his brother Thomas Beecher was filling in for him. When it was announced that Henry Ward Beecher wasn’t there that day, many in the congregation got up to leave. Thomas Beecher then went to the pulpit and said, “All those who have come to worship Henry Ward Beecher may leave. All those who came to worship Jesus Christ may stay.” Ouch. But he had a point.

All to say that I am leaving our church in a capable hands of Pastor Bobby Ludlow, who will be preaching and teaching for me while I’m gone. And Charlene Dornick, Ted Wagner, Andrew Wring and John Hohmann will be handling the music duties between them. I am especially grateful to Andrew Wring, who has volunteered to lead the music for a few weeks after my operation, while my hand heals.

And while we’re on the subject, I would greatly appreciate your prayers for my right hand. I’ve played guitar for almost six decades. I was extremely reluctant to even think about surgery, for fear I would lose dexterity in my hand. It would be a real blow to me if I wasn’t able to keep playing guitar. But my doctor told me that there’s no cartilage in my thumb joints anymore, and without surgery my thumb would likely freeze up. After consulting with a wonderful hand surgeon, I believe I am in good hands (no pun intended). And my friend and brother Ted Wagner encouraged me by telling me he’s had surgery on both his hands, and that they’re better than ever. I appreciate the encouragement, pal!

Rae Anne and I are planning to be with you again on Sunday, July 21st, to worship with you and hear Pastor Bobby preach. I may still need to be at home while the OxyContin wears off. If I’m there, I’ll be glad to see you. But I won’t shake your hand. (Think about it…)

So, let’s all keep working for God’s kingdom! But let’s all rest when we need to, and not feel guilty about it. After all, that’s what Jesus did. And that’s what He told us to do.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor David