Are You Going On A Holy Vacation?

Are You Going On A Holy Vacation?

 

Good Morning Friends,

 

Well, Vacation Bible School is in going on this week and lots of people are going on family vacations after that. So I began to think about what the Bible actually has to say about vacations and
strictly speaking, it’s difficult to find examples of believers going on “vacation” in the Bible. Paul took trips, but the missionary journeys were hardly relaxing. Jesus got away for prayer and spiritual refreshment, but those were more like spiritual retreats than modern vacations. And David once ignored his military duties in order to spend his afternoons relaxing, but that led to his committing adultery and murder—hardly a positive biblical instance of vacation. Still, scripture provides a basis for times of rejuvenation. Perhaps the best model for a good vacation should be fashioned after the feast days or perhaps an experience with Jesus. Are You Going On A Holy Vacation?

 

Scripture: The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

 

Mark 6:30-32 (NRSV)

 

Moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:13 (NRSV)

 

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

 

Matthew 11:28 (NRSV)

 

But if, when the Lord your God has blessed you, the distance is so great that you are unable to transport it, because the place where the Lord your God will choose to set his name is too far away from you, then you may turn it into money. With the money secure in hand, go to the place that the Lord your God will choose; spend the money for whatever you wish—oxen, sheep, wine, strong drink, or whatever you desire. And you shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your household rejoicing together.

 

Deuteronomy 14:24-26 (NRSV)

 

Speak to the people of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, and lasting seven days, there shall be the festival of booths to the Lord.

 

Leviticus 23:34 (NRSV)

 

Message: Summer is here and I hope you are planning on taking a vacation. I have read several reports that claim Americans work more hours, take fewer vacations, and retire later, than those in any other industrialized country. I encourage people to take vacations a little more seriously, not because it is directly commanded in scripture, but because it is a means by which we are prepared to do what God calls us to. There never seems to be enough time to do everything we want or need to do. The irony for those who live in the Western world is that we have unprecedented access to all manner of time- and labor-saving devices. But as the world continues to change, how can we find the time or money to take a relaxing vacation? What would you say if I told you that God provides a “vacation” for us—if we follow His instructions in the Bible? It’s true. God laid out a spiritual vacation plan for mankind. He designed it as time away from the cares, frustrations and demands of this world. Every week He gives us His Sabbath and every year He provides His annual festival days as spiritual vacation days! Let’s look at one of God’s annual festivals—the Feast of Tabernacles. The funds referred to in the passage from Deuteronomy are part of a tithe of our income that God tells us to save and use to rejoice before Him at His annual feasts. It’s the way we honor and acknowledge God’s blessings while enjoying some good things we may not be able to afford the rest of the year. If we follow this plan then we have plenty of money to spend in travel. You can afford and enjoy a pretty nice time with a tenth of your annual income! Plus, we have that week to set aside the cares of the world. We don’t have to worry about work, chores, errands, problems or concerns for an entire week. We can focus on something bigger than our lives—something that will last for eternity. Ok I am not going to the Holy Land for a vacation this summer, but I am planning on going to a place that God created and that will have to suffice. It is a Handbell Symposium in Vancouver. And as I contemplate the trip I begin to see that Jesus’ invitation to come was not so much a call to a specific location as a specific experience. And at one point it was Jerusalem for a gathering but today the location is Him. And unless we make an effort to come to Him, we will be a no show for our vacation from the world. We come to Jesus just as we are with all the baggage, all the burdens, all the weaknesses, all of the sinfulness…. Jesus doesn’t ask us to change before we get to Him or to come to Him as someone we are not. We are just simply asked to come to Him. And that is a holiday worth remembering.

 

Pray we think about holidays as a way to draw us more deeply into worship. Pray we use our vacations as an opportunity to love our neighbors. Pray we vacation responsibly, being considerate of cultures, people, and the environment. Pray that casting off our daily schedule gives us a freedom to receive a new revelation from the Lord. Pray our vacations awaken our minds to fresh perspectives that suddenly help us recognize how thankful we need to be. Pray our holidays be Holy days that makes our ministry portable and prepares us for divine appointment that brings unexpected opportunities into our lives. Pray that traveling with family and friends will build relationships that will help us grow spiritually. Pray our vacations renew our spirit, soul and body with overflowing joy and energy. Pray our vacations are times of spiritual breakthroughs. Pray we come back home refreshed and renewed. Pray we enjoy the company of Jesus as we vacation from the world.

 

Blessings,

 

John Lawson