Saturday, July 28, 2001
Saturday, July 28, 2001
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray.
When evening came, he was there alone,
Today, very few people work on farms. We work in offices and make sales calls and teach
classes,
and we are involved in a host of other very stressful occupations and we've come to know the
value of taking time away. Jesus often took time away from the people to pray. We also need to
take time away for prayer and rest.
(Matthew 14:23
NRSV)
Older pastors can remember when rural churches resented pastors taking vacations. This was
understandable when parishioners were glued to their farms. Cows needed to be milked, eggs
needed to be gathered, hogs needed to be fed daily. The family farmer could not afford to hire
someone to come in and do the chores while the family flew off to Disney World. So, many rural
people resented pastors taking vacations too. There was even a famous poem written that
suggested that the devil didn't take a vacation and that it was dangerous for a pastor to take a
vacation as well. It would appear that this poet wanted his pastor to follow the devil's example
rather than Christ's. Christ believed in taking time off. Even God worked six days and rested on
the seventh. Come to think of it, maybe the devil wouldn't be so ornery if he took a little time off
too.
Dear God, this weekend may I slow down enough to rest and worship you. Amen.
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