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From the very beginning, literally, God worked and rested. And the supreme act of God’s work from which God rested? Creating humans in the image of God to do good, purposeful work like God and with God–and also to rest like God and with God. To be human is to struggle to live purposefully, especially as it relates to “work.” But maybe how we see work is our problem to begin with. That’s why we’re kicking off this series about work…and rest. For the next several weeks, we’re going to reflect on questions like: What’s our work for in the first place? What is “calling” and what does it have to do with work? What do we mean by “rest” and what does God mean by “rest”? Finally, what does it look like to work well in life and rest well in life–in ways that are purposeful, balanced, and deeply connected to Jesus and his vision for life?

Scripture: Genesis 1 and 2, especially Genesis 2:1-4; 1 Peter 4:7-11

Oh, Lord, help us to see something that we could not see on our own. Because of your spirit here. Help us to be established and rooted in love, that impossible saving love of Jesus. It's in his name we pray. Amen. So some of you've heard this story before. Sorry, not sorry. I had a.

I worked for a painting company. And then I said, this is nonsense. We can do this on our own. So then we started our own painting company called Mookshire Painting. We didn't advertise like that, but it was our way of recognizing that we really weren't any good at our job. And you probably should never hire us. Okay, you don't want to hire us. Case in point.

We were working at this house up in Boone County. Today, it'd be about a million dollar house. And they hired us to paint a lot of stuff, including their doors. They wanted a new coat of paint on all their doors. So we took all the doors off the hinges, we put them outside, put them on plastic. Man, we were slick. We were spraying all the doors. My buddy Nate got a Nick, got a coat of paint on him, and the plastic flew up on top of the doors.

Were we able to recover some of those doors? No, we were not. We had to write them a check for their doors. In the end, we did some good jobs. Okay, it wasn't all bad. But I'll never forget something that happened on that job. One day, the. The man of the house, if you will, the husband. Dad came home from his job, and I was just trying to be relational.

And I was talking to him and I said, hey, what do you do? And he described what he did. Pretty, you know, he worked for Lily or something like that. I don't remember. But I said, do you like your job? And he said this. No one likes their job. But he wasn't like, ah, nobody likes their job. He was mad about it. He was like, nobody likes their job.

Are you kidding me? And I was like. I thought it was ironic that here I was with like 21 or whatever I was at the time with all these buddies. We're not making any money. We're losing money on this job. And we were having a great day. We really enjoyed our day. He did not. He did not like how he spent a huge chunk of his.

His day. So I wanted to ask you this off of that. Do you tie your identity to your job? And please don't answer what you wish the answer was on that question, actually. Do you tie your sense of who you are to your job? Jamin sure. Yes. Thank you. Jamin Jack it. You let it get a little too important and you idolize it.

ELLIE Your worth. You tie your worth to it. Okay. Others do you connect your sense of who you are to your job? Debbie yeah, yeah. So you Debbie worked in a law firm and she had the suspicion or curiosity that people in that place connected their identity to their work. But Debbie didn't much because she saw her dad die at a young age and it kind of made her what she BETH I don't see my my work as a job. Remember that, folks. We might be ending somewhere in that direction.

What else? Anyone? You tie your identity to your job. Julie yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Julie would have thought the answer was no until she lost her longtime job. Yeah. Anybody else? It was very important to you, but you saw it as a means to all the other things that you wanted to do. Anybody else? Couple more. Tucker yeah. Yeah.

So kind of wrestling with like youth and being a kid and being in school still and maybe imagining like, what it would be like down the road. Anybody else? Let me show you something interesting. Oh, go ahead. Try to stay true to the craft you didn't like. So there are certain aspects of your job. Actually, the data that I'm about to cite, there's stuff about how you feel treated by your employers I'm not bringing up, but I'll show you where you can find it. Here's data about how many people tie their job. You probably can't see that super well, this is Pew Research, a study from 2023.

If you can't read it, I'm going to speak it out to you. Now, about 4 in 10 workers see their job as central to their overall identity. Now here's the interesting part. The more education you get and the more money you get, the more you tend to tie your job to your idea. The more education you get, the more money you make, the more you tend to tie your identity to your job. Luckily, I don't tie my identity to my job at all. Just kidding. I struggle with it every day coming here today.

It is an ongoing battle for me and it's something that distorts the possibility of the holiness of work so much. It's sad. Honestly. What I want to launch today, I want to talk to you have a series about work and rest. Work and rest. Living a purposeful and balanced life. Working and resting like God and with God. We're going to look at that until November 23rd.

Then we start advent November 30th. I want to help you to step back, think about how you work and how you rest. I want to help you think of things like identity, role and place. I want to help you separate those things, differentiate between. I want to help you discover, perhaps for the first time or rediscover the goodness of work and rest. And today we're just going to kick it off. We're just getting started. But I want to help you think about this.

God's work produces people like you and me whom God calls to work and rest like God and with similarly, Christ's work is to heal and restore and save people like you and me. So we heal and restore. So work like Christ and rest in Christ. So I want to think about, first of all, like, ways that work and rest get distorted for us. So I'll give you a preview of where we're ending. I want everyone to say it with me. My work is not my identity. My work is not my identity.

And my job is not my work. And my job is not my work. Some of you are like, well, then, what in the world is my work, huh? We're going to get there, but we're just going to continue to have series until, like, it runs out of things, I thought, while I was in Western Canada, so it's just going to take a while. But I was hiking back from something called Lake Louise to my car, and I was thinking about how my body and my soul and my mind were recovering from rest. Like how I was having this sacred time of rest and it was restoring me, but it also helped me realize the violence that my distorted view of work had been doing to my soul. And I think everybody struggles with their work. I haven't met a human being yet who just, like, was all peaceful and wonderful about their job and their work and all. All that.

I think for some people. I'm going to ask you in a minute other ways that you see us distorting work and rest. But here are a few examples to get your mind thinking. Here's how I Some common ways that I see people distorting work and rest. Number one, you got your. You got your overworkers. Have you ever noticed in our culture that people, when they say, I'm a workaholic, they say it with a twinkle in their eye. Isn't that weird? You got people who fuse their identity with their work.

And so their work is the way that they make their worth, the way that they build the sense of who they are. And so no wonder they're working all the time. You can't be in A conversation with them for one minute and they're telling you what they do. And they probably use their title in that first 60 seconds. I'm sure it's none of you in this room. They fuse their identity to their work and their work for them is their job. It's what they do for a living. And so they work, work, work.

But then you got folks who are working a lot honestly because they got to like, they're trying to like, pay the bills, they're trying to make ends meet. And so like, they're working their fingers to the bone. There's no chance for rest. Like rest? What is that? I gotta work because I got these bills to pay, I got this family to provide for. So like. But then here's the other side of it, folks. Like, sometimes God is inviting us to like live into a very purposeful kind of work. So there is this version of people who are, you might say under working.

Is that a word, Charles? Okay, thank you. So we're not experiencing the, the joy and holiness of our work because maybe we're hiding or shrinking away from good purposeful work that we're called to do, be it in a job or beyond our job. So the struggle with identity can be the problem there all the same. We struggle with shame and a lack of work. And so we hide and don't step into a job or into work because like, our worth, our sense of self is so fragile that we don't step into it. But then here's the one that I don't know where you fit on the work struggle spectrum. Let's talk about the rest part of it. Work and rest.

Almost nobody I know rests well, period. I know few people, they're like, Ross, I take my days off. How many of you don't rest? When you take a day off, like first thing in the morning, you've got a to do list that you just build that's like 38 items. Long day off does not equal rest. A week off does not equal rest. When you look at the Bible from COVID to cover, when the Bible talks about rest, it is a very different thing. Very different. It is a boundaried set apart space for no productivity.

How many of you are anxious at the thought of no productivity? I'll ask again. How many of you are a little anxious at the thought of no productivity? It may be a sign that your sense of worth is connected to your ability to be productive. If you produce nothing, who are you? Retired? If you produce nothing, can you be fulfilled? In the Bible and Jesus is big on this, folks. He's not big on the whole, like, religious exploitation of this concept of Sabbath. Jesus is all about rest all the time. Jesus is like, guys, I gotta. I'll see you later. I gotta go to a place to be by myself.

And it's him and God and nobody else. He should be saving the world. Come on, Jesus, people are suffering. Do something. And he's like, I'm just gonna sit. Be solitary. How good do you do with stillness and silence, Ross, you're always asking us that. Stop it.

I'm sick of it. Okay, you're up. How do you see in your life? And let's stick with your life. How does work and rest get distorted for you? How does your. Your work and rest, a. A good sense of work and rest get messed with in your life? What keeps you from a healthy view of work and rest? What keeps you from a healthy view and practice of work? Jamin. Say that again. You're told that work is rest.

Do you want to say by who? No, maybe don't say that right now. Okay. All right, what else? How. Yeah, go ahead. Some people's idea of work and their idea of rest is different, and those are in conflict. Okay, go ahead, Emily. Say more. Sure.

Yep. Yes. Yeah. So things. Things that are restful to you may be productivity to somebody else, and vice versa. Right, Charles? Yeah. So Charles is like, there are activities that I do that may similarly that they are restful to me, even though I am, in a way producing something. My question is, what keeps you from.

We haven't even talked about any of these terms yet. Spoiler alert. Next week we're talking about work specific. When work becomes a curse. That's next week three, we're going to talk about, like, what. What do we mean when we talk about rest and how in the Bible, a life without rest is a cursed life. And then shocker, week four, we're going to look at how Jesus worked and rest. And then week five will bring it all together somehow.

I'm not sure. How does a healthy sense of work and rest get messed up, Ellie? Yeah. So a couple things I hear from you is that you. Ellie says, like, one, I just kind of fall into the rhythms of my schedule or the demands of my schedule. And so maybe you struggle with intentionality. Maybe. But also you get going so much and so involved in it. Like you.

By the rest, you almost feel guilty about resting. Yeah. All right. We're just getting started today. Did you hear me that. Hear me say that? I want to show you How God worked and rested from the very start. We are not going to perfectly define work and rest today. I just want to get you thinking.

I want to show you how God worked and rested from the start. I want to introduce you, reintroduce you to a churchy word. Anybody know what it's going to be? Stewardship. We're going to. We're going to win that word back. We're going to win that one back, baby. I want to introduce you to that. Do you think of God working in Genesis chapter one? If you've never heard Genesis chapter one, good for you.

Because you can hear it with fresh eyes. I'll prove to you that it's work. I'm not making it up. On the sixth day, God completed all the. I think you're asleep. On the sixth day, God completed all the. That he had done. And on the seventh day, God rested from all the.

So God was working. Is this God's job? Did God, like, clock in? All right, I gotta go. And today on my to do list, Create light. Create human beings. That might be a bad risk. We'll see how I feel when I get there. Job. We're gonna say more about this throughout this series.

I'm gonna point to it again at the end. Go. God rests. God is working from the start and resting from the start. God's primary work. Watch this. It's so beautiful. This picture of work.

This robust picture of working. When God began to create, the earth was without shape or form. It was dark over this deep sea. God's wind swept over the waters. This is a poetic account of creation. My opinion. And is not a super scientific account of creation. But we're not focusing on that today.

If you want to talk more about it, hey, let's go have coffee. God said, let there be light. And so light appeared. First and foremost. God's work produces light. God's work produces. And God saw how. God saw how the light was.

God's work produces. God separated the light from the darkness. God's work is intentional. Intentional. God named the light Day in the darkness. Night. There was evening and there was morning. The first day.

Look at this. God's work has been. Boundaries. Holy. God wasn't burning the midnight oil. Are you? God's work produces light. It produces goodness. It's intentional.

It has boundaries. You know the rest of the story. We'll go through it a little bit more quickly now. The. The Hebrew folks thought that this was an account about how there is a being, a creator who has such power that when God Speaks. It happens. And when God speaks, there is light and. And goodness and life.

God's work does such things. The second day. There's the boundary again. Did I say that? God's work produces goodness. God saw how What? It was good. There it is again. God said, let the earth grow plant life, plants healing seeds and fruit trees bearing fruit with seeds inside of each, according to its kind throughout the earth. And that is what happened.

God's work produces fruit. God's work is fruitful. So are you staying with me? Produces light, Produces goodness. Has boundaries, produces fruit. Oh, there's that last sentence again. Doggone it. God saw how. What? Jeez.

Boundaries. We already did the light thing. We're going to do it some more. God's work produces light. Keep going. Yes. We're still doing light. Jeepers.

Oh. We're still doing light. Oh. And there are more boundaries. Oh, wait, there it is. Let the water swarm. With what? Let the water swarm with what? God's work produces life. What's that last sentence? God saw how What? Okay, so far.

Oh, wait, there it is. God's work. Work comes with blessing. So let's see. Can I do all the notes? Help me out. God's work produces light, produces goodness. It's intentional. It's got boundaries.

It produces life. It comes with blessing. So as you're gathering, you're probably picking it up. The only way you can do such work like that is if you're, like a doctor, right? Lawyer. Right? The only jobs where you can do such things. Am I right? Is your job, your work, this, anywhere and everywhere. Am I wrong? You. You can have boundaries and intentionality in everything you do.

You can, like, be someone who produces light, like, or shines a light in all things. Right? We'll say more about that in just a minute. Oh, here's now. Now we're introducing. We're almost toward the end today. Okay, stay with me. We're almost done. We're just getting started.

Did I tell you that in this series? We can't do it all today, though Emily knows I would like to try. Let's introduce the stewardship thing. Here's the last thing. Oh, man, this is big. God could do it all alone. Say it with me. God could do it all alone. Does God choose to.

God could do it all for God's self. No, God's work is done with. Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us, so that we may take charge. They may take charge. Sorry, not we. They might. It's a crazy, dangerous thing God does. You Guys creates all these beautiful things and says like, hey, Jay, will you help me manage this creation? Will you let me guide you to seek its prosperity? Will you make it flourish with me? God makes us co creators.

We get promoted to co manager from the very start. We don't start at an entry level position. From the minute we jump in the door, it's like, there's the manager's office right there. You're a manager with Mina. That's stewardship. God has made you a manager of your life, the lives of others and the earth. Ross, didn't you just make me a workaholic right there? Didn't you just tell me to fix, manage and control people? No, no, in this case, I mean more like seeking the welfare of us. Seeking the welfare and goodness of the earth.

Managing the gifts that God has given you for the sake of the welfare of all things with God. Here's your identity. Let's read this one together. Here we go. God created humanity in God's own image. You're asleep. Let's start over. Okay.

God created humanity in God's own image. In the divine image. God created them. Male and female God. That is your idea. Your work is not. Your job is not. If you produce, nothing does the image of God, like, slowly kind of seep out.

Your identity is made in the image of God. And your role, Your role is that identity and role are two very different. Identity and role are two very different. All right, we. We got to get. We got to get. I'm trying to do everything today. We got to be finished with this sermon already.

Jeepers. But look at this though. Genesis chapter 2. On the sixth day, God completed all the work that he had done. And on the seventh day, God. On the sixth day, God completed all the work that he had done. On the seventh day, God. From all the work he had done.

God's a worker and a rester. And you are made in the image of God. So, man, we got to learn how to work well and rest well like God. We are suffering from a distorted sense of work and a distorted sense of rest. Do you know of the Ten Commandments, you know which command gets the most commentary? Now, some of them are just straightforward, so you don't need a lot of commentary. So like Josh1 says, Thou shalt not kill. No commentary. Just don't do it.

Okay? It's just like, that's it. Don't do it. The one that gets the most attention. Keep the Sabbath. More words on that one. It's so we're going to Talk about that a lot in week three. All right. From the start, God worked and rested.

So, hey, we made it back to the beginning. And then I'm going to give you a few things to think about for this week. Practically. Here's what we said today. Here's what this whole series is basically about. God's work produces people like you and me whom God calls to work and rest like God and with God. We're going to talk about that for the next several working and resting like God and with God. But here are a few things that I want you to focus on this week.

Sort of a practical takeaway for today. Number one, repeat it to yourself. Be aware of it in your week. Let's say it again. My work is not my identity and my job is not my work. If you're like Ross, I don't get that one. Come back for week two. That'd be next.

We're going to talk about. What does that mean that my job is not my work? It is a part of your work, but it is not you. Your job is a part of your work. It does not equal your work. All right, here's the other thing. Talking about being our identity. Here's a prayer for you this week to let it kind of inspire your. Prayer for you to walk with this week to remember your identity here.

Okay, we'll finish. To pray this today and praying this today. This is From Ephesians, chapter 3, 17, 1917 talks about being established and rooted in love. Established and rooted in love. Think about your identity. Visualize that this week and pray it. Pray it for yourself. God, help me to be established in love so that I grasp love's width and length, height and depth together with all.

Pray that, Lord, help me to be established and rooted in love so that I have the power to grasp love's width and length, height and depth, together with all belief. That is where your identity comes. So pray with me now. Our prayer is just that. Establish us deeply in your unfailing love as revealed to us in Christ Jesus. Root us in this love, Lord, so that we grasp its width and length, height and depth, together with all believers. It's the name of Jesus. I pray.

Amen.