Renewal by Charles Ho

When asked to write this article, I have to admit, I had hardly a clue. So I started googling some of the words that came to mind: renewal, rest, Bible. That led me to “Sabbath”, i.e. the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” I wondered why there were so many laws about the Sabbath? Maybe it was not so simple for the Jews of old – like the way we would think of weekends.

It is interesting that pretty much the entire world observes a 7 day week today, though it was not so in the days of old. From what I googled, the Jews were one of the first to observe a day of rest every seven days. There are even Jewish laws related to the “shmita” or Sabbatical year, and “Jubilee” – the last year of the seventh shmita. The world, it seems, is still catching up on Sabbatical and Jubilee practices.

For me, it is good that our worship leaders had the foresight to pick this topic. Not only did the ancient biblical wisdom awed me in a new light, but it gave me a needed push to look at what rest and renewal means personally.

So what I got out of last Sunday’s sermon was that what we often think we want, such as relaxation or rest; is contrary to what we really need, which is renewal. If I recall, our speaker, Becca, put it simply: renewal = rest/relaxation + breath of God. I am anxious to learn other insights as this series continues and from our upcoming study “24/6” in Sunday School.

As you read this essay, I will be in southern California relaxing. I hope that I will consciously take a deep breath here and there, and remember that the air I breathe is holy.