Sunday Service - Jubilee: The Gift of Rest

Introduction: The Excitement of a New Season

What an absolute privilege and delight it is to share at this special time. Thank you for coming today, especially those I haven't seen in a while, and for making this an extra special day for us.

I'm about to start a new series, but let me be clear — this is not a new pastor arriving with a shiny new vision for the future. This is simply what we feel God stirring in us for the immediate season. As our leadership team has been praying over the past couple of months, one word kept coming to our attention: Jubilee. We believe this is a word from God for this season.

If you want to turn to Leviticus 25, you'll find where this all begins.

The Gift of Rest

I absolutely love holidays. As a child I went to Cornwall, Wales, Italy — and I remember one unforgettable family trip to America, visiting Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon. As teenagers, my brother and I nearly gave my mum a heart attack pretending to almost fall off the edge (it was safer than it looked, but it felt very real).

Into adulthood, my wife Jen and I have learned to prioritise proper rest — at least ten days to two weeks a year where we truly switch off. I've learned what helps me rest (ice cream, walks, new places, meeting people, practising my French) and what doesn't (technology, my phone — anyone else on that journey?).

Some of the most meaningful moments come in the stillness of a holiday: reflection on relationships, on disappointments, on things left undone. Holidays, done well, can be beautiful — because God wants us to live well. That's why He wove rest into the very fabric of what it means to be His people.