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Creational Devotional |Day Seven
Day Seven: Rest and Thankfulness
Today’s Reading
(Genesis 2, verses 1-3)
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.
And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested
on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed
the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the
work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the
heavens and the earth when they were created.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the Sabbath rest that you give to us and to Your entire
family of creation. Amen.
Meditation Options
(1) Activities and reading for families and groups with children.
(Please read today’s reading and prayer in your gathering place.
For children, please bring the pictures that you drew on the “First Day.”
Then please read the following:)
Do you remember the beautiful picture that you drew of the sleeping
world on the first gathering day? Even if you didn’t draw a picture,
please take a moment to think about what the Earth might look like if it
were asleep and peaceful. For the last week, we’ve done a lot of
things together and made special time in our days to think and pray about
all of the amazing things that God, and the entire creation, continues
to do. But now, it’s rest time – the seventh or “Sabbath” day.
Not only did God think that it was a great idea to take a rest on the Sabbath
day, God tells us and the entire creation to take a rest on the Sabbath.
Why does God tell us to take a rest? (Take a minute or two to talk/think
about this.) If we look at our pictures of the sleeping world, we
can remember that it was this same sleeping world that God awoke to be
a new and beautiful creation – more beautiful than our wildest dreams!
We need rest as a time to stop and think about the beautiful things that
God has already done, to have time to be thankful to God and our family
of creation, and to dream about the beautiful things that God will do in
the future. May you have time to rest today so that you can feel
deep thankfulness in your heart and dream about what God may do, with your
help, in this beautiful world.
(2) Reading for older children to adults.
Please read this selection from Exodus 23: 10-12:
"For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; but
the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor
of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat.
...Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest,
so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your houseborn slave
and the resident alien may be refreshed."
This reading is part of the covenant-forming instructions between God
and the people of Israel. A covenant is a mutually agreed-upon relationship
based on love and respect. In this portion of the covenant, God (through
Moses) tells the people of Israel that rest is essential to a healthy relationship
-- a relationship between God and humans, and God and all of
creation, especially the "poor" and overworked in the family of creation.
Therefore, the "poor of your people," the animals, and even the land itself
are allowed to partake in grace-filled, reconciling rest.
(3) Reading for adults.
(From Erazim Kohak, The Embers and the Stars: a philosophical inquiry
into the moral sense of nature, Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1984, pp. 29-30)
“The night comes softly, beyond the powerline and the blacktop, where
the long-abandoned wagon road fades amid the new growth. It does
not crowd the lingering day. There is a time of passage as the bright
light of the summer day, cool green and intensely blue, slowly yields to
the deep, virgin darkness. Quietly, the darkness grows in the forest,
seeping into the clearing and penetrating the soul, all-healing, all-reconciling,
renewing the world for a new day. Were there no darkness to restore
the soul, humans would quickly burn out their finite store of dreams.
Unresting, unreconciled, they would grow brittle and break easily, like
an oak flag dried through the seasons. When electric glare takes
away the all-reconciling night, the hours added to the day are a dubious
gain. A mile beyond the powerline, the night still comes to restore
the soul, deep virgin darkness between the embers of dying fire and the
star-scattered vastness of the sky.”
Growing Prayer
As Your loving, renewing rest covers all of creation,
We thank You for Your continued presence throughout the entire family
of creation.
(Everyone:) And God saw that creation was good! Amen.