Dear Faith Family,
Last week, we were invited to "not disbelieve, but believe." Believe that all the adversaries of our souls (within and without) have been destroyed by the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Believe that we are not alone, not meant just to figure it out, not left to wander through our days, but shown, taught, and guided into God's good design and destiny by Jesus alive again and forever.
What could life be if we believed? We asked that question, hoping to spark our imagination for life after Easter. It is the question that will set the course for our Gathered times during this next season. But where do we start?
Well, as Psalm 92 reminds us, we begin where God has finished, ceased, sabbathed.
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath
It is good to give thanks to LORD...
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work...
Your designs are very deep!...
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies,
my ears have heard the doom of my assailants.
(Psalm 92:1,4-5,11)
Life after Easter begins where all life began: resting with God in God's finished work.
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested...So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy... (Genesis 2:2-3)
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)
As it was in Genesis, so it is again in Jesus.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us... (John 1:1, 14)
After God works, we rest with Him before we work with Him.The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)
...Jesus showed them his hands and his side...[and] said to them, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.' (John 20:20-21)
It's (re)entering this "deep design," this whole and holy rhythm of Sabbathing to work, working into Sabbath, that allows us to live wisely, courageously, competently, and with peace. Imagine that!
Seriously, imagine if you could distinguish between what is temporal and what is eternal in your daily duties, dialogues, and disagreements. Imagine being free from the fear that binds you in your relationships and responsibilities. Imagine being crafted and commissioned to handle your circumstances and career. Imagine if you were perfectly planted in God's court, his dwelling place now and forever.
Psalm 92, as we shared on Sunday, invites us to stop rebelling against God's good design and get into this revolutionary rhythm.
I invite you, faith family, to let the Spirit lead you into praying from a place of Sabbath into your places of work this week as an act of revolution.
Love you, faith family! God bless.