Mark: Sabbath

Sundays were always a tricky day growing up. There were some things I could do, and others I couldn’t, and it didn’t always make sense to me. My parents wanted us to enjoy a day of rest, but some of the things that I found restful I couldn’t do! I know that my parents were doing their best to honour God, and serve Him with their whole lives, but if I’m being honest I wasn’t there yet. I didn’t know what it meant to honour God with my heart, and not just try to impress Him with my actions.

In Mark 2:23-3:6 Jesus is confronted for doing things that were traditionally forbidden to do on the Sabbath (I’ll let you read the passage to find our for yourself exactly what they couldn’t do). But instead of correcting His behaviour, and the behaviour of His disciples, Jesus uses this as an opportunity to teach the Pharisees and others who were present that they were the ones who had misinterpreted the law. He teaches them that the purpose of the law isn’t to impose strict rules and guidelines on people, rather it’s purpose is to free us from the burden of work and allow us space to worship and honour God. Sabbath rest was, and is, a gift to us from our Heavenly Father for our benefit, not a hoop to jump through in order to impress God. And this is still true for us today. I hope that you’ll be able to join us this Sunday to learn more about how we can honour God with the time He has given us. Our gathering begins at 6pm.

Pastor Mike