Saturday, 28 April 2012

Rest

 Someone caught me resting
( at a coffee shop during a recent trip to London, England, lol)


Just finished listening to a wonderful sermon on the topic of the sabbath rest spoken of in the book of Hebrews. It is something I have struggled with, and it showed up ("it" being my struggle, that is) by how I would argue with people who have a legalistic bent toward sabbath-keeping, and the reason for my struggle I believe is partly due to the fact that I had encountered problems early on in my life due to situations arising from our family involvement in the SDA church when I was young. Anyway, I hope you can make time for this one:

 "A Rest for God's People," Hebrews 4.1-10

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10 comments:

  1. L 28 April 2012 at 11:12

    I will check this out later today. I have to say, I don't think that I ever feel restful when it comes to God, and I have felt even less restful than usual lately. Your post is timely.

    By the way, it is great that you do so much traveling. You are part Indonesian, right? Have you ever thought about visiting Indonesia?

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    1. Susan28 April 2012 at 11:33

      Hi Leslie,

      Glad the post speaks to you. This has been an ongoing battle for me, but recently I've actually felt an easing and lessening of the tension regarding this. It's like I've gotten a break from it, but now I can look at this more like someone on the outside looking in, looking at the bigger picture, trying to make sense of it.

      My parents were born in Indonesia. My mom is French, German, Chinese and Indonesian, and my dad is mostly Dutch (his mom was Dutch, and his dad was Dutch and Indonesian). I have no desire to visit any part of Asia. I loved visiting England and hope to again one day. I hope to visit France, and hopefully Israel...if Jesus wills it to be, it will be. :)

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    2. L 1 May 2012 at 08:18

      Do you think that you can describe how you have become more restful? I know that the Spirit often works in ways that we can't understand or articulate; but, if possible, I would like to hear more about your journey towards rest.

      I listened to the sermon carefully, and I have been thinking about it the last few days. It was really helpful. I will probably write something about it later. Anyway, thanks so much for posting it. (I was surprised when I heard the voice and realized that I recognized it. :))

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  2. Alice29 April 2012 at 03:50

    So nice to see you, what a lovely picture:) I have downloaded the sermon and will put it on the player today.

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    1. Susan29 April 2012 at 05:20

      Ha! (I hate my photographs, but yeah, that's me, lol)

      One thing that is so incredible about this sermon is something that I've been noticing recently, the fact that the most awesome miracles of God are so pervasive and all around us that we fail to see the forest for the trees. He puts it in a parable of "the young fishes and the old fish" and I had to laugh and say "yes! precisely!" :)

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    2. Alice1 May 2012 at 05:16

      I listened to the sermon last night while sweeping up. I really enjoyed it. While I don't agree that we are to keep the letter of the commandments anymore, we are to rest. Rest is a glorious thing and I really like the idea of making one day "different" than the other. The sabbath was made for man, like Jesus said.

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    3. Susan1 May 2012 at 06:18

      Hi Ma,

      Remembrance...I think that was the key to that commandment, to REMEMBER. I've been noticing (especially with my mom being in the condition that she is) our tendency to be forgetful. We forget God's promises. We forget the good things He has done for us. I even have trouble remembering what I had for lunch yesterday. What I do remember is the bad things people have done to me. :( When we remember the Lord, and remember what He has done, it is a blessing. The Jews knew God as the creator of this world and the universe that contains it and everything in it. The 4th commandment combines remembering what God has done (creation) with something that we need (rest). The Israelites know that God created the world in six days and rested on the 7th. The greater miracle, even greater than creation, is the redemption of man. All the cycles of the feasts and holy days were to keep all these things vividly in the minds and memories of the participants, to remember God and what He did and does and will do in the future. I know with my poor memory I need memory aids, and I believe that God knew that too.

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    4. L 1 May 2012 at 08:19

      I hope that your mom is ok. I will say a prayer for her.

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  3. Anonymous6 May 2012 at 08:45

    Hi Susan,
    Thank you for showing your lovely picture it is good to have a face to go with your words. You have a very loving look, so pleasant and gentle. I know decision to show self on the net was one that exposes us to the whole world and could be possibly be unsafe? dunno..... But it's a lonely world even though there are some 7 billion of us it can be hard to find friends.

    I made choice to show my face to be me, warts and all, in hopes of being more human despite this artificial net world we communicate through. Maybe this is one way I've given myself to "rest" from always having to guard from offending or rejection? Being vulnerable and open risks those things.

    I sometimes I thought you and or Ma might not be "real" or might be Mormons (you found me from the youtube I made about "metal books" that seemed to attract mostly Mormons to watch it....I was even pegged by advertisers on youtube as being Mormon because of it) who were trying to convert or confuse me with your continuing questioning of basics of Christian principles. My writing hasn't attracted much interest from Christians like Ma's and your do, no whine here, it just is what it is. I suppose that my style of communication puts people off, and I really don't even care at my age because I don't know any other way than to just say what I think and I gave up. No excuses here, but I have wondered why. I try to be nice, but oh well........don't have the knack for it.

    But your charity towards my writing has been very nice, I guess I'm getting old as well as tired and resigned to unfuzzy reactions. :( :) :D

    I hope you have a blessed journey with your mother in her illness and I sympathize too as I am on my own with my mother's emphysema and osteoporosis being one of ups and downs.

    We cherish and try to glean blessings from our last chapters together.

    My mother's wisdom and loving memories and quick understanding and deep knowledge of me as her little girl grown old and gray, give me both hope and some pain and regret at the same time. Is that what you call bittersweet, yeah that's it.....but it is life and true treasure.:) matermusearts.wordpress.com

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    1. Susan6 May 2012 at 10:03

      Hi Muse

      :)

      I don't photograph well, or maybe it's just that I don't like the way I look (?) yeah...

      Last chapters...good way to look at it...this book will be closing soon, and God will open another :)

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