August is a month traditionally associated with rest and a trip to the seaside. The “Wakes Weeks” of the industrial revolution are often said to be the origins of this tradition. During those weeks, the motion of the looms would stop, the factories would close, families would pile into seaside special railway trains, and the coastal towns of the North of England would find themselves swelling not just with the tide but with the mass decamped populations of the industrial towns, such as Bradford.
Yet, in that time and in our time, it was and is a time in which the inequalities of our society are highlighted. The school holidays placed and still place greater burdens on family budgets as mouths appear at the meal table more times a week than during the school term. For some, the expenditure of travel, let alone accommodation was and remains beyond their means. It can seem that this cultural pattern of rest is for some, but not for others.
The bible speaks of rest as a gift offered to all, and calls this “sabbath”. The author, John Mark Comer writes: “The Sabbath is a 24-hour time period set aside to stop, rest, delight, and worship. It is the best day of the week. In our era of chronic exhaustion, emotional unhealth, and spiritual stagnation, few things are more necessary than the recovery of this ancient practice.”
This August, why not come to Bradford Cathedral to engage in sabbath for little or no cost. We are open from 10am-4pm from Monday to Saturday, and you are invited to come and bathe in the calm of these prayer-soaked walls. In addition to our Sunday and Wednesday services, Daily Prayer, online at 9am and 5:30pm, and in the Lady Chapel at 12noon, Monday-Saturday, offers you an opportunity to step aside and encounter God in scripture, silence, and prayer in the company of a few others. And, if you’re feeling peckish, our reasonably-priced pop-up cafe will be open Wednesdays – Saturdays from 11am-3pm during August, or you might like to come for a free Strawberry Cream Tea at the Deanery on Monday 12th August.
Jesus’ invites you thus:
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11.28-30)
With my prayers and every blessing,
Revd Pete Gunstone
Minor Canon for Worship and Nurture