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Show Summer vacation has good and bad points 4 ' - f I -I If f 4 "." ' ' I ' I i by PASTOR PAT EDWARDS Grace Baptist Church It's summer, and for most of us that's good news; but, I must tell you, one particular group of people doesn't always shout for joy as the season of the sun hits its stride. I'm talking about ministers, priests, bishops, rabbis all those who look out on empty pews, smaller offerings offer-ings and depleted ranks of helpers. We know it's going to happen but knowing a blow is coming doesn't lessen the force; it just helps us to prepare so we're still standing after it hits. What causes the disappearance of so many of the faithful? What causes my sheep to stray from the shepherd and the rest of the flock? What could possibly lure them from the comforts of home? It's nothing mysterious, nothing supernatural, nothing evil; it's summer vacation! It's that time of year when 90 percent per-cent of the congregation takes turns disappearing two weeks at a time for three months. But while it creates some minor problems for the average church or synagogue, it's not a bad thing. In fact, vacations are part of God's plan for his people. The word vacation vaca-tion isn't used in the Bible, but the whole idea of rest and relaxation began with God. The day as God planned it begins with rest. Look in the first chapter of the Bible and you will read the day begins in the evening. 'And there was evening, and there was morningthe first day." The new day traditionally began for the Hebrew people when the first three stars could be seen in the evening sky. Thus we see our day begins with rest and then moves into the time of work. God also sectioned off the week into a period of work and a period of rest And finally, God set aside the seasonal festivals and the years of Jubilee so that humanity hu-manity and the land itself might rest from its labors. Now, nowhere is the word vacation vaca-tion used in all this planning, but it is clear that God intended for us to have a break from the day-to-day demands and pressures that work places on us. Ajid it doesn't always mean falling flat on our back, un-moving un-moving for 24 hours. Again, God prescribes a variety of activities to be done during these times of rest. Rest is often not a lessening of activity, ac-tivity, but a change of activity. For myself, after a day or a week of studying, stu-dying, reading, writing, conversing and counseling, nothing is more restful or relaxing than going to my shop and working on my wood projects. pro-jects. Vacations help us break the routine patterns that don't just build up over a day or a week but over the years. They give complex people the opportunity to express their complexity and creativity in new ways. They give people the opportunity oppor-tunity to stretch themselves by increased in-creased exposure to the world and peoples around them. Vacations are a needed source of stimulus to people peo-ple who are easily trapped by habits. But, I tell our congregation, we must never take a vacation from God. If we believe, as the Bible teaches, that God is love and truth and beauty and the source of every good and perfect gift, then we would be foolish to to go on vacation vaca-tion without him as our special guest. On vacation we often do things differently so our times of worship, meditation and prayer may be different, but they shouldn't be left out. Have a wonderful vacation and may God go with you! PAT EDWARDS |