Our eternal rest

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work." Genesis 2.2

Have you noticed that no end to the seventh day is mentioned in the first account of creation? Saint Augustine taught that was because it was supposed to establish an eternal rest, the work of creation having been fulfilled. Rest, in this case, would not have amounted to sloth or indolence; more like effortless activity, as creation went about thriving in accordance with the intentions of our Creator.

Unfortunately sin - our sin, human sin - ruined it all, set creature against creature against Creator. Work became a chore and life, now cruel and relentless, had to be curtailed and so death entered the scene, to complete the tragic cocktail of evil and suffering.

Yet even as all that was unraveling God was gearing up his plan to redeem the situation, which came to a head in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. As we learn in the Bible, Jesus hailed the renewal of Creation, broke that tragic cycle of sin and death and initiated the New Creation. That New Creation has yet to take effect in its fulness. We occupy the space in between. Yet we are not alone, God remains our constant companion and guide in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Today is Trinity Sunday, on which we acknowledge and celebrate the three-fold nature of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Creator, Redeemer and Friend. Praise him!