Monday, September 8, 2025

AfterWords: Stories that Shape Our Lives - "On the Eighth Day...."

 


Genesis 1-2

Origin stories are important. We want to know where we come from. My own story—as far back as we know—starts in the Scottish Lowlands. My people were farmers (and horse thieves…but only English horses!). Knowing their journey from Scotland through Ireland and then to the New World in 1743, and then their migration from Pennsylvania down the Appalachians into north Georgia by the late 1800’s—this is helpful for me and forms my self-understanding. The origin story in the opening chapters of Genesis is even more important. In this story of Scripture, we find that our world and all of Creation are God’s handiwork. That God makes this universe on purpose confirms that the universe and every one of us has purpose. This is good news!

Also a part of this story is God’s taking rest. After creating the universe, our world, and us humans, God rests. Here, God sets the pattern for us—we work, and then we rest. Unfortunately, in the early ages of God’s people, the scholars and religious leaders decided what was work and what wasn’t. They took a one-size-fits-all approach to work and rest. Thankfully, in our Christian era, we now know that work is important and rest is important, but just as one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, one person’s work is another person’s rest. Rest is designed for renewal and re-creation, after the expenditure of our days at work. My work includes lots of screen time and human interaction; my day of rest includes escaping screens and people 😊. Your work may be solitary or physically taxing; your rest may include getting together with others and sitting in front of screen. I cannot tell you what your rest is, and you cannot tell me what my rest is. One of our tasks as followers of Jesus is to really determine and understand what is “rest” for us…and find that day of the week that we can rest…renew…and re-create our lives.

Finally, we may have wondered (or not) what happens on the eighth day—that day after the seventh day: Did God just keep resting, or what? When we read Scripture, we see that God goes back to work. The world is now made, so what is the work of God? After Noah’s flood, God remakes the world. God creates a new people through Abraham. And God begins the amazing work of redeeming our broken and tarnished world. In Isaiah, God says he is “doing something new” (Isa. 43:19); in Jeremiah, God points out that he is remolding our lives, reshaping our lives (Jer. 18:6). Paul declares that “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 2:5).

God continues to work in our world and in our lives. Where you are and who you are today is not where you will be or who you will be. God continues the good work of renewal, redemption, and re-creation in us and even through us. Thanks be to God!

Sunday, September 7, 2025
“On the Eighth Day….”
Watch/Listen: HERE

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