Genesis 2
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.
Easter Vigil
4/8/23
Genesis 2
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Tonight is the Easter Vigil, the night where we wait to celebrate the joy of the resurrection. Looking forward to this wonderful celebration that we've just begun. The transition from the day of rest to the day of joy. Now, we have read a number of things that deal with rest tonight. The first one begins with creation, creating a day of rest the seventh day. That is Saturday. Today, many people don't know that. Many Christians assume that the Sabbath day, the day talked about so often in the Bible, the day of rest is actually Sunday. Right? I'm sure you've heard it before. You're supposed to go to church on the Sabbath. But that's not the way it worked. The Sabbath day was the seventh day Saturday. In our reading from creation, God created all of the different things on all of the different days days, one through six, culminating with humanity.
And then he rested on the Sabbath. Saturday, the day of rest. Did you ever wonder why he rested? On the seventh day?
I bet. Do you think it was because God was tired? That's what the kids think when I tell them that story. Like, six whole days of work, I would definitely rest. But you know, of course, when you read the story, all the work that God does is just speak a few sentences. If I got wiped out from speaking a few sentences, it would be rough being a pastor. Why did God rest? Why was the seventh day the day of rest? Well, the Old Testament answer was that it was a day to set the pattern for God's people that on the Sabbath day, they would rest beginning with night, Friday, what we will call Friday and ending on Saturday. It wasn't because they needed a break. We'd like to take a break, don't we? In fact, many Christians will call Sabbath that as well. They'll say I need a Sabbath rest, which means they need to go home and take a nap. But that's not what the rest for God's people were the Sabbath. Saturday. They rested because they were supposed to look for their life and salvation in God. Resting on one day a week was a way for them to rest in God's promises. They would take a whole day. They wouldn't go out into their fields. They wouldn't go work on anything. They wouldn't light a fire or repair their work equipment. They would rest because they knew that God would keep His promises and keep them safe. It was a day for them to wait and let God come through on his word. That pattern rings over and over again throughout the Old Testament. Wait for the Lord. Psalm 27 describes a situation where the evil doer attacks. That conclusion is very simple. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. Same for Psalm 25 It says to you oh Lord, I lift up my soul Oh my God in you I trust let me not be put to shame. But not my enemies exalt over me. Indeed. Nan who wait for you shall be put to shame are Psalm 62 for God alone my soul waits in silence. From him comes my salvation. Psalm 105 I wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in His word I hope my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. Wait for the Lord. That was the message of each one of our readings after the creation story, wasn't it? Israel is terrified by the Egyptians and what does God say? Wait. You'll see the salvation. Abraham's promises challenged Isaac the son must die. God will provide Daniel, friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They're commanded bow down to the idol, the mightiest King on earth will kill you throw you into the hottest furnace ever. And what do they say? Our God will protect us. We will not worship your God, oh king. They're thrown into the fire and who appears there. A man like the Son of God. They waited for the Lord, each and every one they waited for the Lord and he delivered them. And that's what the Sabbath day is about. Even the Sabbath of Christ you remember how we ended the readings? On at the end of John, Jesus sighs and says, It is finished. Then his work was done. They took down his body. They placed it in a tomb. And on the seventh day he rested. And what he did was trust for us. God Himself, Jesus Christ, waited for the Lord, to raise him from the dead. When evildoers assailed him when the host of people around him, all they wanted to do was destroyed Jesus Christ. He waited. And on the eighth day of the week, he rose. Because when Jesus rises from the dead, the pattern of creation is now over. There is a new day, it is not days one through seven anymore. Sunday morning is day eight, the beginning of the new creation, the beginning of a Savior who defeated death forever for you, and a new way of life. This is the joy of Christ's resurrection. But he waits on the Sabbath day. And when his father raises him from the dead, he brings a new pattern into being. And now you and I live in that reality. What it means is that when we to rest, like Christ in our tombs, we can wait for the Lord. We can wait like he did. Knowing that there is a Sabbath rest for all of us. That God will return and raise us and bring us into the new creation and the old pattern will be broken for ever because of our Savior in his name Amen.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai