Hello,
Saturday I woke up at 12:00, noon.
I don’t know that I have ever slept the morning away. I went to bed at 10 p.m., and when I
opened my eyes to tackle the day, it was noon
Lest you dub me lazy, the important thing for you to know is that I have
been in a battle with the respiratory flu for the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, today, it hit me like a
Mack truck, sending me coughing and sputtering, flat on my back Unfortunately, the flu’s timing did not
match the season of worship services that comes with the beginning of Lent. So, I wasn’t able to do what I should
have done….stay in bed….and like all of you would have done, I did what I
needed to do and brought my cough and hack with me to the pulpit.
The weird thing about this battle with the flu is that the enemy’s war
plan has been to attack in waves.
Just when it seemed that I have taken the upper hand, viral
reinforcements have come along to see if they could bring me back to my knees,
and they did. So it was on
Friday. After a series of battle engagements,
and thinking the conflict was over, the flu caught me off guard with an
apparent offensive surge.
Not that it is a rare occurrence (a sign of the wild life that I live);
I decided to hit the rack at 10:00 on a Friday night, thinking that a good
night’s sleep might be the best defense against this surge. Apparently my thinking was coming
from my body’s central command center, telling me that I needed rest….and rest
I got.
Maybe it is not without coincidence that my unintentional bed-rest came
at the beginning of Lent. After
all, the entire purpose of Lent is to draw away from the daily rigor of life in
order to regain our strength and purpose.
For some of us, life is a fierce battle where each day brings with it
new and determined reinforcements.
For others of us, the battle may not be as bombastic, but using guerilla
warfare techniques the fight hits us unaware with limited but corrosive
attacks.
Just like my battle with the flu, there comes a time when a message
comes from central command saying, “rest!” Take a rest from the hectic, high-pressure battlefield that
life can become. Step off the
people mover, and sit down….sit down in a quieted time, uncluttered by demands
and drive….and rest….rest in the presence of the one whose strength is
unlimited, and who has turned the
full force of his power to fight on our side…to fight against guilt’s accusation
with forgiveness, to fight against failure with eternal victory….to fight
against the weariness of confusion with shepherding care.
It may not seem that we can find the time to rest, but there comes a
time for all of us that whether we want to or not, rest is unavoidable. Lent, these 40 days in which we are
engaged, calls us to do what we need to do……rest. Come…..and rest….rest in the Lord.
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor JerryNuernberger
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