Daily Dose of the Word of God - Genesis 2: 1-3

Erin Pacheco, Director of Worship

Transcript

Erin Pacheco 0:10 

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC’s Daily Dose of the Word of God. It’s Friday, January 3, and Sunday is coming! I’m Erin Pacheco.  Our scripture today comes from Genesis 2:1-3, which is the conclusion of the creation story. 

Erin Pacheco  0:31 

So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

Erin Pacheco  0:56 

For many of us, the holidays provide a much-needed opportunity to rest. We get days off. We take vacation days. Maybe we travel, or curl up with a good book, or spend extra time with family. I feel like this past week, away from my routines, it’s been easy to lose track of what day it is. But today is Friday. We’re one weekend away from jumping back to reality, back to school, back to our normal rhythms. So it’s timely now to think about rest. Especially Sabbath rest. The day of rest that God himself takes after the work of creation — which then becomes this rhythm of weekly rest that God bakes into the universe. Even secular wisdom knows the value of living within our limits and setting aside regular times for rest, so that we don’t burn out, and so we can be our best selves the rest of the week. 

Erin Pacheco  2:06 

As you look ahead to the new year, I wonder what Sabbath rhythms might look like for you? What would it look like to make Sundays a special day— focusing on worship, and rest, and delight in God’s good gifts? In my experience, carving out a Sabbath practice usually means saying “no” to other activities on Sundays (which is sometimes hard!) and trying different things as a family that help set the day apart. I even heard of one family that does loaded ice cream Sundaes for dinner every Sunday, as a way to make the day special for their kids (and make dinner easier for the parents!). January is a good time to start something new, so if you’re not in the habit, I encourage you to try taking a Sabbath this Sunday. Set aside your work and responsibilities, and trust God to hold things together without you. Gather for worship in the morning. Spend the afternoon paying attention to God and the goodness of God around you. And see what that does for your soul.

Erin Pacheco  3:17  

Let’s pray. God, thank you for the gift of rest, for modeling it for us, and for your word that reminds us that we need it. As we look ahead to this new year, help us to resist busyness and choose rhythms instead that will be good for our souls. In Jesus’ name, Amen.