The Seduction of Production

One of the building blocks of the creation story in the Book of Genesis, (affecting the entire created order) is that God chose to structure His work in creation over a seven “day” period. God “worked” for six “days” and on the seventh “day”, He “rested”. There is a lot of thoughtful, interpretive work to be done here, but for our purposes, let us focus on the Lord’s “resting” and his subsequent command that His people do the same.

In the New Testament, the idea of Covenantal rest for the people of God is fleshed out for us and connected directly to the work of Jesus in His death and resurrection (this is especially clarified for us in the Epistle of Hebrews). For the New Covenant People of God, Jesus is our rest, our shalom, our peace. The idea of Shalom for the baptized points to a salvation that brings wholeness, healing, and restoration both in this life and in the life to come.

BUT, there is a practical reality that is also to be understood here in the context of Genesis 1 that is meant for God’s Covenant People of all ages. God did not rest because He got tired or exhausted (like we humans do). As Jesus modeled repentance and forgiveness in Baptism (when he needed neither), God models something for us in establishing the six-day workweek and “resting” on the Seventh Day: Our lives are not about the tasks we are given by the Creator but are to be focused on Creator Himself.


Whatever good gifts that God has given us can quickly become priorities and idols themselves. This is not to be. So, Israel, and now the New Covenant People, His Church, were called in their resting to remind themselves and re-orient themselves weekly to the source of their lives - knowing, serving, and following the very God who had given them their lives, tasks, and salvation.


May we use and recommit ourselves to the regular Sunday worship of our God in Word and Sacrament. It was the discipline established by the Apostles and Church Fathers: A time of worship in community designed to refresh, strengthen, and reorient us to our true source of lasting REST, Jesus Christ, our Lord.


Father Tom