As I heard the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, children playing with their sand buckets, and leisurely conversations all around me, I was reminded of the tranquility that a trip to the beach provides. Today is my first day back to work from a week's vacation, and I feel refreshed, renewed, and spiritually alive thanks to my trip to the sandy shores of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Relaxing on a bench along the long boardwalk, I noticed a historical sign about Rehoboth Beach across from me. Above is the picture that includes the history of this place of spiritual refreshment. To my surprise, I discovered that this was no ordinary vacation resort. This was holy ground (or should I say, "holy sand.") Like so many of our country's hospitals and nursing homes, even this scenic beach resort was started by early Methodists! This prompted be to read more about this Methodist connection which I found on this website.
In 1872, the Reverend Robert W. Todd, of St. Paul's M. E. Church in Wilmington, being very feeble from weeks of camp meeting services, visited Ocean Grove Camp Meeting on the Jersey Shore. Returning to St. Paul's, greatly restored in health and spirit, he told of his experiences in a sermon, using as his text the words, "And the sea hath spoken."
This holy renewal experience led this Methodist clergyman to establish "The Rehoboth Beach Camp Meeting Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church" on January 27, 1873. The name, "Rehoboth," had already been given to the nearby bay by 17th century English explorers from the Virginia colony. They had chosen this name from the bible because it means, "broad places." Reverend Todd's desire was to provide a place where people could come to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and to experience the beauty of God's good creation along the Atlantic Ocean. This Methodist preacher who had experienced God's renewing love on his recent trip to the beach, wanted others to experience this transformation as well.
This vacation came at just the right time for me. It was just a couple of weeks ago that my mother died unexpectantly. I was feeling emotionally drained and tired in the days that followed. In short, I was not myself.
Now, I'm back home. And like Reverend Todd, I feel renewed because of my "holy sand" experience.
"The sea hath spoken."
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