This past weekend we observed Labor Day here in the United States. As we know, this is a moment when the nation pauses to honor work and workers, to acknowledge the value of labor, and to recognize the many contributions that build our communities. Yet Labor Day also provides an invitation to reflect on something deeper than work itself. It invites us to think about rest.
From the very beginning, the Bible tells us that after creating the heavens and the earth, God rested on the seventh day. This is a detail we often rush past, but it holds a beautiful truth. Pastor Edgardo Peña, once pointed out that the very last thing God created was the human being, and immediately after came God’s rest. What if this means that the rest of God is not an empty silence or a distance from creation. Rather, God’s rest happens with us present. In other words, we are God’s rest.
This is a reality both mysterious and wonderful. We tend to think about rest as something for us, as if God only sets an example for humanity to follow, but the Scriptures hint at something more. Humanity, made in God’s image, was invited into God’s own rest from the very beginning.
What if God’s Sabbath is not only about ceasing from labor but also about dwelling with God’s children, and about rejoicing in their presence. That changes the way we understand rest. This should be not simply about us getting a break, but about God finding delight and refreshment in us.
When we look at this through the lens of the Gospel, the message becomes even clearer. Jesus Himself declares that He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and in Him we discover our true rest. He is our Sabbath. He is the One who carries our burdens, who invites us to lay down our heavy loads, who promises rest for our souls. If Jesus is our Sabbath, and if we are called to be God’s rest, then a serious and humbling question arises: does God truly find rest in us? Can Jesus find in us a place to lay His head?
These questions move us beyond a holiday or even a weekly rhythm of worship. They push us into the heart of discipleship. Because to be God’s rest is to live in such a way that our lives, our homes, our communities, and our churches become spaces where God is welcomed, where the Spirit can dwell, and where Christ Himself feels at home. It means that when others encounter us, they encounter a reflection of peace, a taste of Sabbath, a glimpse of the Kingdom.
One of the deepest expressions of worship is not only singing hymns or offering prayers but becoming a people in whom God delights to rest. When our hearts are at peace with the Divine, when forgiveness and reconciliation are practiced among us, when we embody love, justice, and mercy, then we become a place of rest for God. And when that happens, our church also becomes a place of rest for others. People who walk through our doors or who meet us in daily life should sense that they have stepped into a space where burdens can be laid down and where souls can find refreshment.
Let us take the long weekend of Labor Day as an opportunity to stop thinking of rest as something that belongs only to a holiday. Let us remember that in Christ, every day is an invitation into God’s Sabbath. Let us rest in Jesus, and just as importantly, let us become a place of rest for Him and for one another. May our worship, our fellowship, and our daily witness be so filled with God’s presence that the Divine rejoices to dwell among us.
Warmly,
Rev. David A Gaitan
