I have been thinking about rest and the language used around it. In part it comes from some folks in full time ministry having received complaints that those who make up the body of the church do things on their day off, so why shouldn’t full time ministers.
Now in CPD – the book of rules – it gives that:
A minimum break of 24 hours each week, without structured work and if possible
away from the manse.
A period of up to an hour’s break each day for recreation and exercise.
Now in reflecting on this I tend to use the term rest day rather than day off, and have been generally quite good at taking a rest day, however what does it mean to have a rest day. I find that it is a day to recharge, a day to re-engage with family, and a day to sit back and become me again. Without my rest day I become ratty, and often over tired, also I tend to find that I am less able to get things done.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.
Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
Looking at these 3 quotes also shows that God intend us to rest. In this I see that rest is good. But in the nature of ministry, it is not a 9 to 5 job, and you can’t really have a day off from being a minister, but you can have a day of rest – and have a very good role model to follow.
revjamespb 