Daily Dose of the Word of God - Genesis 2: 2-4a

Justin Paul Lawrence

Transcript

JPL  0:00  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC’s Daily Dose of the Word of God. Today is Friday, September 5th and Sunday is coming! I’m Justin Paul Lawrence. Our Bible readings today are from Genesis 2 and John 1. Here’s Genesis 2:2-4a:  “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.”  And here’s John 1:1-5  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

JPL  1:06  

I’ve always heard that it’s good to work hard. To be regarded as a hard worker by your co-workers, team mates or even friends is a badge of honor. In the creation story, God worked for six days to make this wonderful universe for us. And our daily work follows God, the Word “without whom nothing was made that has been made.” But how often do we honor and respect someone who rests hard? Someone who sabbaths hard? Perhaps it’s because our brains are wired for the next big thing, or because we’ve based our own worth as Christ-followers in what we do, but I rarely hear praise for someone who’s great at doing nothing. And yet, I’d assume that God’s rest on the seventh day of creation is as much of a model for rest as the other six days of work. We’re called to sabbath. Hard.  So what does this look like? It will be different for folks at different life stages, but the general attitude is to prioritize letting the world spin madly on, paying no attention to it. Natural disaster in another country? It can wait. To do list? Life-giving things, sure, but save the unpleasantness for later. Nature? Definitely. Good friends? Even better.   Practice rest in a way that you’d be proud of how hard you ceased. And you’ll be at the beginning of knowing the God of the universe just a little big better. 

JPL  2:26  

Let's pray. God, thank you for the wonder of creation and especially for going before us in rest. Thank you for ordering this rhythm into the very fabric of the universe. Fill us with the Holy Spirit to not only labor as workers in your vineyard, but to also enjoy to restfully enjoy the feast and rest that you give to us. Amen.