Pastor Ritter ~ July
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is good to be home with you all here at Immanuel after our time away on vacation. Robyn and I had a wonderful time up in Alaska enjoying the beauty of God’s creation and learning about the history and culture of the area. Most importantly we found rest. Not as much of the physical rest, as we had many jam packed days of activities and excursions and late nights. On the cruise ship, we had signed up for our dinner time to be at 8:30pm which is 11:30pm central time. We were getting to bed around 11pm in Alaska which of course is 2am here. Yet we still returned feeling rested and rejuvenated and energized for ministry.
Jesus taught his disciples to take times of rest and we ought to do the same. In one such occasion Jesus told his disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” The reason for it was because they had been so engaged in the serving of people that they weren’t even having time to even eat a meal. The work of the ministry of the church which is not just done by your called staff but by all of here at Immanuel is – vitally important. But it is also vitally important that we all take those times of rest.
The rest allows our bodies and our minds to reset, to heal, to focus. There has been so much work being done here at Immanuel. Much more work still needs to be done, not just in our buildings or grounds but in this community. I want to encourage you all to take those times of rest for yourselves just as Jesus encouraged his disciples to do. Many have found joy and purpose in serving our Lord in a variety of ways here at Immanuel. I don’t want anyone to lose that sense of joy and purpose because they failed to take the rest that they need.
If you yourself have not taken the opportunity to get involved in all that takes place at Immanuel outside of worship, I would encourage you to speak to me or one of our staff on how you could. You getting involved also affords another one of our members the opportunity to get rest. Together we can accomplish all that God puts before us, but not one of us can do it all on our own. We need one another and we all can do our part, whether you think it is big or small it all makes a difference. So please prayerfully consider volunteering, even if for just an hour or so…you may discover the same joy that others have found as well.
For those of you who have been heavily involved in so many varieties of ways, I thank you for your commitment to the ministries of Immanuel and desire to see you continue working as you have been. But please, please, please! Get your rest! One of Robyn’s favorite t-shirts has a reference to when Jesus was asleep on the boat in the midst of a storm, the saying on the shirt says, “Jesus took naps, be more like Jesus.” Jesus taught and led by example, so get rest and be energized for the work ahead of us as we continue to join Jesus on his redemptive mission. I pray you all have a rest filled summer!
“Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”