July Ministry Reflection: Summer as a Sacred Opportunity

Finding rest in Christ that we can carry into autumn and beyond.

Well, here we are again. Summer.

For those of us who live in Phoenix, it means that we’re already sick of triple-digit temperatures, especially because we know it won’t relent for another four months.

The kids are already itchy due to the lack of routine.

Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.

And of course, that familiar pull to escape for just a little bit on a long-awaited vacation. 

Finally a chance to just rest.

After months of early mornings, packed schedules, and the relentless pace of life, the thought of sleeping in, of sitting on a beach, finally getting the chance to finish The Will of the Many…

It sounds paradisal. Heavenly.

But then of course vacation ends. Then it’s time to come home and re-enter the fray, hopefully with enough inner resources recovered from what often feels like too short of a break, and in some cases what was just as exhausting as normal life due to the pressure to maximize one’s time off.

After all, how many of us have said we need a vacation from our vacation? 

So, I guess what I’m wondering is whether our dilemma has less to do with taking the right vacation and has more to do with our hurried day-to-day lives.

What if the rest we're craving, the deep soul-rest that we hope to find in those precious days away, is actually something we need on a more regular basis? 

What if we’re actually aching for a new rhythm of life? What if we’re actually aching for Sabbath?

What if the Sabbath isn't just a day on the calendar or a week on the beach, but a Person we can meet this very moment?

The Great and Holy Sabbath

Let's go back to the beginning for a minute. In the Old Testament, God established the Sabbath as a day set apart, a rhythm of rest woven into the very fabric of creation itself. 

One day out of seven, the people were to cease their labor, to remember that they were more than just productive beings, more than the sum of their accomplishments.

Indeed, it was actually a physical break to remind humans that the world was God’s, that they were God’s. It was a chance to cease from their striving and to trust that all of this was held in God’s hands, and that it ultimately was going somewhere good in Him.

It was revolutionary then, and honestly, it still is now. In a world that never stops spinning, where productivity is often our unofficial religion, the idea of regularly stepping out of the hustle feels almost rebellious.

In fact, it’s supposed to. It’s an act of resistance against humanity’s obsession to control and possess.

But here's the thing: that Old Testament Sabbath, as beautiful and necessary as it was, was always pointing toward something greater. 

The Doxastikon of Great and Holy Saturday, the day in which Christ was in the tomb, suggests as much:

The great Moses mystically prefigured this present day, saying: “And God blessed the seventh day.” For this is the blessed Sabbath, this is the day of rest, on which the only-begotten Son of God rested from all His works. Suffering death in accordance with the plan of salvation, He kept the Sabbath in the flesh; and returning once again to what He was, through His Resurrection He has granted us eternal life, for He alone is good and loves mankind.

Sabbath is not just a day. It is not just a command to keep. It is a Person.

Christ Himself is our Sabbath.

Christ: Our True and Eternal Rest

When Jesus walked this earth, He had the habit of regularly upsetting the religious leaders of His time by doing something unconscionable.

He worked on the Sabbath. He healed people. He picked grain. He made clay with His spit to restore sight to the blind.

Was He breaking the commandment? Was the Son of God somehow in rebellion against His Father's law?

Not at all. He was revealing its true meaning.

The rebellious rest that the Sabbath once had offered people became a legalistic matter. It no longer liberated people from the oppressive yoke of work, but rather had become an oppressive yoke under the Law.

The early Christians understood that Christ had come not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it in His very Person. That He Himself had become the Sabbath rest for us, and that His Sabbath was not simply experienced once a week, but rather was something that we were invited to at all times.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened," He said, "and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Do you hear what Christ is saying? He's not offering rest as a reward for good behavior or as something you have to earn through six days of hard work. He's offering Himself as rest. 

He is our Sabbath.

In Christ, we don't just observe the Sabbath; we live in it. 

We don't just take a day off; we discover that our entire existence can be rooted in His rest, in His peace.

The Invitation That Changes Everything

So while many of us hope to have a peaceful summer getaway, to have the perfect vacation where we can finally catch our breath, I wonder if we need to consider something: what if God is inviting us into something even better?

What if He's inviting us to discover that the rest we seek isn't primarily about changing locations or schedules for a week or two. What if it’s about changing our entire rhythm of life?

Don't worry, I'm not saying you shouldn't take that vacation. 

Our bodies need rest. Our minds need refreshment. God created us as embodied beings who require actual, physical renewal. Taking time away from work, spending time in creation, being present with family without the constant ping of notifications are all good and necessary things.

But what I am saying is this: if we're looking to summer break or vacation days to provide the deep rest we're craving, the deep rest we need, then we're going to come back disappointed. We’re still jumping back into the whirlwind of our hurried lives when we return.

Perhaps we need to consider an overhaul on the way we live day-to-day. What if the invitation is to rest more fully in Christ as our Sabbath?

Living in Sabbath Rest

So what does it actually look like to live in Christ as our Sabbath? How do we practically enter into this rest that He offers?

First, it means recognizing that our worth isn't tied to our productivity. In Christ, our value isn't determined by how much we accomplish in a day or how impressive our resumes look. You are beloved simply because you exist, because you bear His image, because He has called you His own.

Second, it means learning to release our grip on control. So much of our anxiety and restlessness comes from the exhausting work of trying to manage outcomes, to force life to bend to our will. Christ's rest invites us to trust that He is working all things together for good, even when we can't see how.

Third, it means cultivating rhythms of rest and communion with Christ. To be honest, I do think that there is wisdom to the rhythm of setting aside a 24-hour period in the week as a regular way to remind your body that the Lord has you. That, as the children’s song wisely states, He’s got the whole world in His hands. 

It can be hard and make me a little itchy to stop striving for a whole day; but when my family practices Sabbath, it’s helpful to remember that it is not intended as a burden, but rather as an embodied way of experiencing the reality of Christ’s goodness and love.

And while a weekly day of rest is valuable, we have to remember, we aren’t Ancient Israel; we are Christians, and this rest is available to us now and always. That we can always come back to Him and find rest for our weary souls. This isn't about adding another task to your to-do list. It's about learning to recognize His presence in the mundane moments. 

To find rest with Him in our morning coffee, in an evening walk, in bedtime story with our kids.

Questions for Your Heart

As you think about the months ahead, let me offer some questions to consider:

Rest and Rhythm:

• What am I hoping vacation will give me that I feel is missing from my “regular” life?

• How can I create daily, weekly rhythms of rest that reflect my trust in Christ rather than just my need to recover from overwork?

• What would it look like to approach rest not as something I earn, but as something I receive as God's gift?

Anxiety and Control:

• What areas of my life am I white-knuckling my way through? How can I begin to entrust these to Christ?

• What does my restlessness tell me about the state of my heart?

• Where is God inviting me to release control and enter His rest, rather than simply learn better time management?

Presence and Peace:

• How can I cultivate awareness of Christ's presence in my ordinary moments? What moments in my daily life naturally bring me joy and rest, and how can I do them with Christ?

• What practices help me remember that I am living in His Sabbath rest, not just waiting for the weekend so I can crash?

• How might this understanding of Christ as my rest change the way I approach both work and leisure?

Summer as Sacred Opportunity

Here's what I'm discovering: when we understand that Christ is our eternal Sabbath, summer doesn't become less special; it becomes more so. 

Those precious vacation days become opportunities to taste more fully what we already possess in Him. That slower pace becomes a chance to practice the rhythms of rest that we can carry into autumn and beyond.

And for those of you who won't get a summer vacation, who will be working through the hot months, serving others, caring for children, or struggling to make ends-meet, I hope you’ll hear this with grace and love: God’s rest is still available for you. Christ is still offering you rest, even when it’s incredibly difficult to find.

The rest He offers is not seasonal or circumstantial. It's eternal and unchanging. And it's yours right now.

So yes, plan that vacation if you can. 

Enjoy an evening dip in the pool.

Sleep in when you're able. 

But remember… the rest you're seeking, the deep peace your soul craves isn't waiting for you at a resort. It's standing right here, arms outstretched, saying "Come to me, and I will give you rest."

And that, friends, is better than any vacation you could ever book.