Genesis tells us that creating the world took work. Separat- ing light from darkness and water from dry land required divine effort. Through labor born of God’s creative imagination
and love, animals and humans come into being. So when God hallows and blesses the last day of Creation, God puts a holy imprimatur on time set aside for rest.
Though it seems paradoxical, today we must work to nd sabbath time. Distractions surround us, and turning off the channels in our minds, all playing at once and competing for attention, takes an act of will that many of us struggle to nd. We receive opportunities to purchase calm moments through phone apps on meditation or tropical vacations promising us the chance to correct our sleep deprivation. Trying to buy rest sometimes affords us only new worries, however, with none of the needed respite from our full lives.
We do not leave busyness at the doors of our churches, and our communities of faith may add new responsibilities that require our effort and focus. Cooking for the soup kitchen, serving as a teacher for the youth Sunday school, organizing the church’s recycling center are all vital tasks to which God may call us. But God also calls us to rest; sabbath is as important to our lives as service is.
As a Christian community, we are called to rest at least once each week when we gather for worship. God’s Spirit recreates our hearts and minds in the time when we sing, pray together, hear good news spoken to weary hearts, and gather around God’s welcoming table. Even if we cannot escape our worries for that time, we are invited to share ourselves and our concerns with our brothers and sisters who will bear our burdens with us and remind us of the promise of rest.