Please read this...

Hey everyone…
 
There’s a double meaning here. First, I have something important to tell you, and I realize summertime readership is spotty. Can you give me five minutes and lean in? But also… God spoke “please read this” directly to me a few weeks ago. There’s a section of scripture I have largely ignored my entire Christian life. Maybe you have, too. God asked me to step up and read. Let me tell you about it in Deeper Thoughts below….
 
But first… check out these summer happenings:
                                                                                                                 
·      Men’s Breakfast TOMORROW, July 26, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. – Come eat, connect with the fellas, and explore what’s upcoming in Men’s Ministry. Text Phil Trazinski to get involved helping make the breakfast (571-328-8099). THEN… afterwards, at 12:00 p.m., for those interested, join us for an escape room in Ashburn!
o   ALSO: Be sure to sign up for our Men’s Ministry updates on What’s App… Here’s how: 1) download and open the free “What’s App” application to your device. 2) Search for “Mens Ministry M25:40”. 3) Ask to join. 4) You’ll be welcomed by an admin once he confirms you’re not a robot. 
 
·      Help us gather school supplies through Tree of Life Ministries! Sponsored by our Women’s Ministry, Mt. Hope is collecting school supplies and backpacks to help jump start the new school year for students who may not otherwise be able to purchase needed supplies. Click here for a list of what’s needed; bring your donated items to the collection bin in the BROWN room at church by Sunday, August 3.
 
·      Teens: Youth Group THIS Sunday 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., snacks, games, testimonies, and the Word! To get plugged into our growing and awesome youth group, email Jessica Sauder: [email protected].
 
·      Kids, middle schoolers, and parents: Furnace Mountain Christian Summer Camp Day-Camp for age-based experiences, August 4 - August 8, 9:00 – 3:00 p.m.; only $25.00 per student! Transportation to/from the church is available. AND… there are several opportunities for adults to volunteer. Click here to email Chris Bowen to RSVP or with questions!
 
·      Join me for “The Daily Six” – six minutes each morning in the Word of God, Monday through Friday, on our YouTube channel. If you’d like to receive daily email reminders and you’re not already getting them, click here to sign up!
 
·      Plan to join us for Mt. Hope’s 190th Anniversary celebration Sunday, August 24 – a great day of worship, fellowship, southern pot-luck yummies, historical experiences, and gratitude to our God for all He has done at Mt. Hope. If you’d like to be involved—especially with helping pull together historical content--click here to email Sherri Eads.
 
OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and you who giving five more minutes would lead to drowning… BUT…
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
For my entire 40-year run as a Christ-follower, I have been misreading Jesus. I bet many of you have, too.
 
Like most Christians who love Jesus and live in the New Testament, I have been fed a steady diet of theology that dismisses the Old Testament as irrelevant to me. Jesus set me free from the Law of God (see Romans 8:1-4 and Galatians 3:23-25). His mercy and grace have forgiven all my transgressions and sins, so I really don’t need to pay attention to the Old Testament Law—the classic Ten Commandments followed by another 603 super-detailed and super-strict regulations.
 
Net result: I regularly--like I mean, regularly—transgress at least one part of God’s Law with confidence and intentionality.
 
About four weeks ago, God firmly sat me down and asked me to read.
 
I had been aware for several months that I was living in what I call “the red zone.” It’s a cycle I imagine is familiar to many: The pace of life and responsibilities consistently overtake our schedule, energy, and capacity—and often do so for quite an extended season. Usually, there is no obvious way to trim down the workload; the to-do list is legitimate and all that’s on it is high priority. It’s a common condition among most professionals. Because “they’re paying us the big bucks” to buckle down and do what needs done, we grit our teeth, dig deep, and press through. We cling to visions of a tropical vacation somewhere in our distant future to muscle up the energy—occasionally aided by an IV drip of caffeine.
 
Sound familiar?
 
Truthfully, I enjoy being close to the red line. I consider myself a high-capacity person, and I often do my best work under pressure. Living near the red zone can be a thrilling ride as we jump from one task to the next. We feel important. We feel accomplished. We certainly are not bored.
 
My problem develops when I move from living near the red zone to living in the red zone. That’s when I turn cranky. I get sloppy in my communication with others (interpretation: I get snarky and punchy… people get hurt). I struggle with motivation. I even get angry at the simplest things.
 
God told me to sit down and “please read this.” God has a game plan to avoid the red zone entirely, to squelch stress, to live in abundance, and to do so every single week. Tropical vacation unnecessary (but still fun!).
 
I have been largely ignoring His plan for 40 years.
 
“Please read this,” God said to me. I have never carefully read every verse in the Bible on the Sabbath in one sitting. I have read over and over again every mention of the Sabbath in the Gospels—Jesus had a continuous fight on his hands with the legalistic Pharisees who believed he was constantly violating it. I read Jesus not-so-politely telling them to take a hike and that he was going to do whatever he liked on the Sabbath, which in his case was usually healing somebody, casting out a demon, or just eating lunch (see Mark 2:23 – 3:6).
 
So, armed with my Romans and Galatians understanding of freedom from God’s Law, I’ve assumed I can be like Jesus and just do my own thing.
 
Problem: I’ve been misreading Jesus. God asked me to read again.
 
Jesus was specific about the Sabbath. It was made for me. Oh… and you, too. “The Sabbath was made for man,” Jesus said (Mark 2:27). Then I read all 96 mentions of it in the Old Testament. Plus the 430 mentions of “rest.”
 
Here’s what I discovered: The Sabbath is a gift to you and me. It is a command, yes—in the top ten, which I figure makes it fairly important (see Exodus 20:1-17). But it is also a gift.
 
Failure to obey the command will yield a failure to experience the gift.
 
God commanded that we not murder, steal, cheat, or lie. He did so not to be a killjoy, but rather so we can enjoy the gift of an abundant life free of guilt, destruction, relational loss, and jail time. Even though I am free from the judgment of God’s Law in the grace and mercy of Jesus, I still keep those commands because of their wisdom—and because of their promise that life is significantly better when I don’t kill anybody.
 
So why don’t I keep the Sabbath with the same unflinching integrity?
 
This Sunday, will you come to church--in person if you’re able (online if you’re sick or away)—and let’s read together what God has offered to us? How about we figure out what the Sabbath practically looks like in our New Testament life?
 
The command is crisp. The promise is rich and abundant. Perhaps we shouldn’t ignore it any longer. A more abundant life might be waiting for us.
 
Much love to you all… let’s “Sabbath” together this Sunday!!
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend