All of us need rest. In fact, as Americans, we celebrate work with rest. In the United States, Labor Day is a federal holiday honoring the American labor movement and the contribution that workers have made to the country. It is somewhat ironic that we have a day off to celebrate labor, but I like it. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate work and the worker than giving them a three-day weekend. The time off allows for rest and relaxation. No doubt we have been created with a capacity to work, but work alone leads to physical and emotional burnout.
Our need for rest is seen in our standard five-day workweek. It was Henry Ford in 1926 that was the first manufacturing leader who set five-day workweeks for his employees. Ford noted, ““Just as the eight-hour day opened our way to prosperity in America, so the five-day workweek will open our way to still greater prosperity … It is high time to rid ourselves of the notion that leisure for workmen is either lost time or a class privilege.” Ford believed that having the weekend off would provide Saturdays for workers to not only rest but shop and produce greater prosperity for both the worker and the manufactures. He understood not only our need for rest and relaxation but also the economic benefits of time off.
Truth be told, however, it was God who set the standard for work and rest. We read in Genesis 2:2: “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.” It is important to note that God rested from His work of creation. But He did continue the work in Providence and (after sin enters) redemption. The word for “rest” is Sabbath. Although, Sabbath means rest it is more than a day of physical and mental relaxation. It is even more than the day on which many believers worship. The Sabbath has a particular redemptive significance. The New Testament often uses the word rest to describe the good news of salvation realized in Jesus Christ (see: Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:2-3). Ever since the Fall, this promised rest in Christ has been linked with the Sabbath. This is why the major feast days in the Old Testament were designated as Sabbath days of rest – they pointed ahead to the Messiah and His redemptive work. In short, Sabbath refers to more than physical and emotional rest, but also spiritual rest that can only be found in Christ.
I would argue that Sabbath is more than a day, but a life-principle God would have all of us follow. In Colossians 2:16-17, the apostle Paul declares, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” The Old Testament observances pointed to a future reality that was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Similarly, Romans 14:5 states, “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” These passages make it clear that, for the Christ follower, Sabbath-keeping is a matter of spiritual freedom. We find true rest in Christ and Christ alone.
I would pose that we are called to worship God with our work and our rest. We are to be mindful of Him and our need to find real, complete, rest in Him, realizing only He can provide the true rest for which our souls long. Maybe, on this Labor Day we can be mindful of the God who has given us the capacity to work, to make a difference with our lives for His glory and the lives of others, as well as, the rest we find in Him and Him alone.
It is a privilege to be about the good work of Christ with each of you. Let us worship Him with our efforts as we rely on Him as well as our rest while thanking Him for the true rest found only in Him. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!