Prayer Pointers:
For the discipline of rest
For those who must work odd or long hours
Text: Genesis 2:1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
God rested from all his work…
While Sabbath-keeping has always tied Lutherans in theological knots, and the modern world abandoned the concept long ago, there is one fact that cannot be denied: rest is woven into the very fabric of creation. All living things must sleep, must rest.
One of the things that marks out Judaism—indeed, has probably done as much to ensure its continuing vitality through countless centuries and a history of loss and grief—is its faithfulness to Sabbath, to keeping the seventh day and ceasing from activity. Sabbath-keeping is one of the marks of the faithful Jew who keeps covenant.
And the Gospels were clear: Jesus of Nazareth was a faithful Jew; he kept the covenant.
And today? It is Sabbath. The Great King rests from his labors. But soon, he will rise, and call: “Awake O sleeper, from the grave, for Christ has given you light.”
~ P. Brooks