September 27
Revelation 22.1-5
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
We saw that Sabbath began as a gift of God to all people. We also see that the gift of Sabbath points to a future Sabbath where God dwells with his people. An image of a garden that dwarfs that we saw with Adam and Eve. A tree of life that restores and heals. The removal of the curse and the return to our place of being with God, the place we were created to be.
How does our Sabbath take us closer to that presence of God we see here? I see it on faces of some at worship. That sense of the presence of God as we join in songs and prayers. As we listen to God speak in his words. We get that closeness to the presence of God as we are together and the Spirit dwells in each of us. A filling each week as we gather to worship.
Where else do we find that beginning of the presence of God? As I return to a series of musings on faith formation, or discipleship, we see that there are places we come closer into the presence of God. We may think quickly of worship. But also seeing that we do so in our own prayers. In our taking part in the life of the church throughout the week, whether together or as individuals. Spending time in our own meditations, devotions, solitude, walks in the woods or fields.
Sabbath is a gift to draw us closer to God. As we sit in the middle of the week, let’s pray for our sense of that presence of God each day. And pray that the full presence of God with us will come to us soon and bring us into that day of healing and restoration. And pray that as we wait we will be able to see the same healing and restoration in part and be able to share that grace we have received to bring a completeness to the Sabbath we have now and will receive in God’s presence with us.
Song – Great are You Lord
Prayer
O God, our heavenly Father, we thank you for the wonderful way our bodies are made. We praise you for each breath we take, each step we take; for the gift of sight and the power to read; for the minds that can observe and store up what they see. We thank you for hands that are skillful in doing work, and for all the creative arts within us. Above all, we praise you that our bodies are the temples of your own Spirit and that we are made in your image. Father, we give you praise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.