Dear Friends,

One interesting fact about the calendar is that the month of August seems to be the only month of the year without a holiday. Maybe this is why August seems to be the favorite time to take a vacation—we make our own holidays!

My wife and I have recently enjoyed what we’ve been graced with in that line, spending time “house-sitting” for friends in Rhode Island. From there we visited the Yacht Coronet, presently undergoing restoration in nearby Newport. The work is slow, but it’s making progress right through the summer. Today is actually the anniversary of the launching of this famous schooner. Just 133 years ago, she slid down the railways into the water for the first time—and the rest, as they say, is history.

But one part of that history has to do with the Sabbath. In 1905, the Christian missionaries who bought and sailed her were newly observing the Seventh Day as the true Sabbath of Scripture, and in June of that year, they made a journey to what was then Palestine. Their immediate purpose was to bring some new faces to the mission station in Jerusalem and give some of the Jerusalem folks a needed furlough.

But another dimension of the trip had to do with the Sabbath. They wanted, specifically, to share with their friends in Jerusalem this new-found call to observe the day of rest. In making this voyage, they had a lot of time on their hands, as it was going to be weeks before they arrived. So part of their daily duties included Bible study and prayer, much of which concerned what the Bible had to say about the Sabbath.

As any Bible student can tell you, they found a lot! Their inspiration grew as they sailed. Eventually they even put it into verse, and ultimately music, creating a wonderful hymn of praise based on the theme of God’s Holy Day. (If you have access to a copy of Warrior Songs, it’s No. 205.) The first verse reminded singers of the institution of the Sabbath while Israel camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai. The next verse memorialized their own voyage: “Tell of the Coronet’s battles, With Satan and every foe, til safe at last into Canaan, This restored Day doth go.” But it was the final verse that looked ahead to the great day when Sabbath worship of the King of kings will be universal:

Sing of the glorious Sabbath when “all flesh” worships God,

And Messiah, full of glory, Himself speaks forth the Word:

Sing of that grand, grand Temple, where clouds of incense rise,

And the multitudes are purified gazing at the Great Sacrifice.

            Sing of the glorious Sabbath when “all flesh” worships God.

So in 1905 they found a lot to look forward to!  Even more today. Let’s sit back on this Sabbath eve and rejoice in all it portends. Never mind the madness and mayhem in the world outside. In your home, in your heart, it’s Sabbath—and time to worship!  He is worthy!