When was the last time you had a proper rest?
Our lives can so quickly fill up with work, parenting (or grandparenting), cleaning, cooking, learning, keeping up with friends and family, bills, and so much more, that rest can become a luxury that we simply can’t afford.
Our gospel reading for this week is all about rest. It may not seem like it at first, but that’s what all the talk about ‘Sabbath’ is all about.  On the Sabbath, Jesus heals a woman who has been suffering for 18 years.  18 years! He sets her free from the bonds of Satan—He gives her true rest.
And yet, the ruler of they synagogue rebukes Jesus for healing on the Sabbath.  You see, the Sabbath is the day of rest, but this day of rest had been twisted, filled with rules and restrictions of exactly how to rest. Even to this day Jews dispute whether they can start a car, use an oven, or turn on a light on the Sabbath.
But that’s not how Jesus saw it.
Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue: “This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for 18 years. Isn’t it right to set her free on the Sabbath?”  God commands us to keep the Sabbath, not as a list of arbitrary rules, but so that we find our rest in Him. He calls us to spend time in prayer and in hearing His word so that we can be set free from our burdens—just like the woman in the reading.
Whatever your burden, hear Jesus’ Sabbath invitation to true rest:  “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:28-29)