Sabbath Rest

" Grant to me above all things that can be desired, to rest in Thee, and in Thee to have my heart at peace. Thou art the true peace of the heart, Thou its only rest; out of Thee all things are hard and restless. In this very peace, that is Thee, the One Chiefest Eternal Good, I will sleep and rest. Amen." Thomas 'A Kempis

'Today, beneath Thy chastening eye,
I crave alone for peace and rest;
Submissive in Thy hand to lie,
And feel that it is best.' J. G. Whittier

"O Lord, who art as the Shadow of a great Rock in a weary land, who beholdest Thy weak creatures, weary of labor, weary of pleasure, weary of hope deferred, weary of self; in Thine abundant compassion, and unutterable tenderness, bring us, I pray Thee, unto Thy rest. Amen" Christina Rossetti

3 of my favorite writers, all now experiencing the ultimate of Christ's Sabbath Rest. Today, I am experiencing that earthly sabbath rest given to us each week. A day set aside to worship the Lord, to be still and know that He is God. A quiet afternoon, with a fire on the hearth, a pot of tea and a favorite Christmas movie. A day not to work, not to rehash a week that was both hard and good, but a day just to know peace and rest. I love the gentleness of Sunday, to have permission, really to obey the command of the Lord to worship and rest. How incredible is that! To give Him praise that one week is behind us, taking us that much closer to His eternal Sabbath, to look with anticipation at a new week as to what the Lord has in store.

This week, a remembrance of His glorious, timely birth, may we be mindful of Him leaving His rest, to come as a babe in a sinful, restless world, for you and me, that by one simple act of faith, we might know His Sabbath Rest.