This past Sunday, we experienced another all-ages worship event at Westheights. We call it Jubilee, and it’s always a ton of fun! Our focus for the morning was the importance of finding rest and relaxation in our day-to-day lives and enjoying the gift of Sabbath.
Together we sang in worship to our King (led by the music and actions teams), laughed at a very funny skit performed by Kyle and Christina Main, and were inspired by five people in our community to find creative ways to rest that are unique to us. We remembered the joy we felt as a child when there was a snow day and each wrote a personal Sabbath plan on a paper snowflake. We ended our time together with a powerful visualization exercise and meditation. Check out the script below, followed by some photos from the morning.
Today we have been talking about the fact that we all need times to rest. That’s how God made us. We need times to stop working and stop being busy going from place to place. We need time to do things that help us feel happy and peaceful and calm.
Sometimes it’s hard to slow down. We have lots of things to do and lots of places to go.
Why don’t we take a few moments right now to rest together?
First, find a comfortable way to sit.
Now, pick up your snowflake. Hold it in both hands.
Raise it over your head…. now slowly bring it down … slowly… slowly… until it’s resting in your lap.
And close your eyes.
Would you like to imagine with me?
Imagine that it’s a snowy day. You are standing at the window and looking outside. Snowflakes are quietly falling from the sky. There is a really big snowflake coming down. Do you see it? Watch it come down… down… down… and then rest on the ground.
The snow is deep and everything is still. You don’t have to go to daycare, or school or work or anywhere else.
You walk to the front door. You turn the handle and open the door (it’s squeaks a little bit as you pull it) and step out on the porch. The air smells fresh. Everything is quiet. No cars on the road. No kids walking to school. The world has stopped.
You walk back in the house. As you walk into the kitchen, you pause. There is your Jubilee snowflake hanging on the fridge. You look at it… you take it down… and hold it in your hands. You remember all the things you wanted to do on a Snow Day… Things that make you feel happy and whole. Just looking at your snowflake makes you feel free and happy and light.
Then you hear a noise behind you. Someone is there. You turn your head…. and there is Jesus.
He gently walks over to you. He looks over your shoulder at your snowflake.
You watch him read the things you want to do today….
Then he looks you in the eyes….
and he smiles.
Then Jesus says “I love to see you rest. I made you. I’ve given you skills and abilities to use, and I love how you are doing great things with them. But my big gift to you is that you don’t have to work all the time. You can take time to rest. I will help you with your work. I am taking care of you. You can trust me.”
And then you suddenly realize the best part! We don’t need to have “snow” to have a “snow day”. We can plan times to take a break and rest. In fact, doesn’t God want us to do that? He calls days like that a “Sabbath day”. A sabbath day is a “stopping day”. A day to stop working and rest.
Let’s remember together that we can rest and God is always taking care of us.
