Holidays are for rejoicing, rest and recreation

Thursday, August 09, 2012

Herald Express

IN the second chapter of Genesis we read of God resting on the seventh day of the creation.

What the scripture is saying to us is that God knew that man must also rest to revitalise our body.

Down the centuries these rest days have been saints' and special Holy days like Christmas and Easter or the feasts of St Peter and St Paul.

The longest rest period was the 12 days of Christmas up and until the feast of the Epiphany.

However, the day work started was the day after Plough Sunday, the Sunday after the Epiphany.

In some years particularly if the Epiphany was on a Sunday, then it was seven extra days' holiday.

These days our holidays come in batches though they are nothing like the 92 days minimum given by the church that controlled holidays up to the reformation.

The main holiday is better in the summer, then there is Christmas and new year and finally a few bank holidays.

The whole point of these holidays was and is rejoicing, rest and recreation (the three Rs).

Rejoicing for what God has done for us in incarnation (birth of Jesus), redemption Good Friday) and celebration (Easter Sunday).

Rest, we all need and in these days of the great speed of life we need time to rest and relax to keep ourselves sane.

Then there is recreation better put as recreation, when we remake ourselves as God would have us be.

This is different to rest. It does not mean lying on a beach or at a hotel pool, but means taking up something new.

I used to do this by visiting some historic towns and drinking in the heritage and beauty of the place.

Others do this by artistry or walking or some other activity.

It means we put our minds to some other endeavour and as a result gain knowledge but also activity in a way different to our normal work.

So we recreate ourselves and make ourselves better able to perform our daily tasks when we return from our holidays.

Sadly, this year in England the weather has spoilt many people's holidays.

The rest has had to be in hotel or guest house rooms or in caravans or tents.

However, amid the difficulties we have still had the opportunity to recreate ourselves.

The Olympics has been a great stimulus in this recreative plan.

Men and women no different from ourselves created for themselves in their respective disciplines near perfection.

Let us use that example and recreate ourselves.

Source

.