Dear Members and Friends,
One time I was being interviewed on a radio show during Holy Week. When the host of the program accurately ascertained my zeal for the Easter Season, he said, “Favorite time of the year?” And I said, “No.” Piqued by the unexpected answer, he then asked, “What is your favorite time of the year?” Quickly, I replied, “Vacation!”
To me, it’s no accident that early on in Genesis, as well as in the Commandments, rest is both highlighted and actually demanded. With an emphasis that we are God’s people, not corporate property, and also that we have identity and meaning beyond the daily tasks that we must perform, Sabbath rest is a weekly and seasonal opportunity to find ourselves in the beauty of being God’s special handiwork. Beyond the undeniable demands of making ends meet, days of respite and relaxation afford us the occasion to step away from the daily grind to better meet ourselves, to consider and reflect on a much wider landscape, along with our wonderful place within it. Thus, it is also no accident that the word we use to describe these moments of play and pleasure is: “re-creation”.
Whether traveling great distances, or remaining in one spot, it seems to me that apart from the sightseeing and visiting of various landmarks, what I have consistently gotten from all the holidays I’ve ever taken, were sharper perceptions of my parents and more attuned relationships with my wife and children. Whether riding the waves of the Jersey shore or simply putting our feet up near a crackling wood fire, I believe many of my most enduring and endearing family images have come in context with our time, “alone together” – no papers to write, paychecks to earn, duties to perform.
In the days of lingering leisure, I have more profoundly perceived the individuals around me – the people apart from the persona, the divinely inspired characters called to life long before duties were undertaken and uniforms donned. During the summer’s pause, I have often felt most deeply impacted by the souls and spirits that are eternal, beyond the labels and characterizations that never really describe and which will ultimately pass away.
Long before it was said that we should “stop and smell the roses”, Jesus advised his followers to “consider the lilies”. This was an invitation to perceive the truth about God via the Divine handiwork that surrounds us – a living canvas we can’t avoid, but one we often do not see. It is also a chance to perceive something about ourselves in the reality that we are also part of the artwork, even the centerpiece of the painting!
This is why holidays have historically been “holy days”. For within a heightened awareness of the Creation, we must surely be moved to give praise to the One Who called it into being.
From Reverend William J. Keane,
Senior Minister of First Baptist Church of Branford
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