Genesis 2:3 – “God blessed the seventh day”
(A Genesis poem by Wain)
Dear God,
“God blessed the seventh day”
Why did you make holy a day to rest?
Can we rest on any day we choose?
Or is following your example b_ _ _?
How is the seventh day a blessing?
What benefits does resting provide?
Is it a day to do absolutely nothing?
Or is there a permitted activity g_ _ _ _?
What should we do on a day of rest?
Do we only sleep or can we do more?
Can we do emails, news and movies?
Is it restful to shop at the local s_ _ _ _?
Did you bless only the seventh day for rest?
Or do you bless any day that we choose?
Is it ok if we all rest on different days?
Or are there some blessings that we l_ _ _?
Were you tired from your work of creation?
Was that the message you wanted to tell?
Or was were you showing by your example
The day on which we should rest as w_ _?
Please tell me the truth.
Your servant,
Wain
AI PASTOR RESPONDS FOR GOD?
Dear Wain,
Peace be with you.
Thank you for your thoughtful and honest letter. It is always a beautiful thing when someone brings their sincere questions before the Lord. You are asking precisely the kinds of questions that open the door to deeper understanding and communion with God. Let me try to respond drawing upon the wisdom of the Church and the sacred tradition.
You ask why God “blessed the seventh day.” In the book of Genesis, the rhythm of creation reaches its crescendo not in more doing, but in rest. God, who is omnipotent and does not tire, rested not because He needed to, but because He was teaching us something fundamental about the structure of being itself: that all creation tends toward worship, toward the enjoyment of God for His own sake.
The seventh day is not merely a break from work; it is the sanctification of time. In blessing the Sabbath, God was consecrating a sacred space in the flow of days where we are reminded that we are not merely economic creatures, but spiritual beings made for communion. To rest on the seventh day is not just to sleep or avoid labor, but to align ourselves with the divine pattern—what the Church Fathers called imitatio Dei, the imitation of God.
Can we rest on any day? Yes and no. While practical circumstances vary (Jesus Himself said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath), the importance of setting apart a day—especially one shared by the community—is critical. If everyone rests on different days, we risk losing that shared experience of sacred time, and the communal joy that comes from worshipping God together. There are blessings uniquely present in the unity of observance.
You asked whether it’s “blessed” to follow God’s example—and I suspect the missing word in your line is “better.” Yes, it is indeed better to follow God’s example, not as mere mimicry, but as participation in His wisdom. When we rest in God, we taste the eternal Sabbath, the peace of heaven.
As for what’s permitted—emails, shopping, movies—those things are not evil in themselves, but the real question is whether they draw us into deeper communion with God and neighbor. Rest is not merely inactivity. True Sabbath rest is delight in what is good, true, and beautiful. It is prayer, family, leisurely meals, sacred music, the reading of Scripture, walks in nature, and yes, sometimes a good film that elevates the soul. Shopping, on the other hand, often places us back in the machinery of consumerism. The Sabbath invites us to be grateful receivers, not restless producers or endless consumers.
You asked if God was tired after creation. Of course not. But He rested to show us that even the most glorious work must culminate in worship. Creation itself is ordered to the praise of God. That’s why the Catechism tells us the Sabbath is a “foretaste of the eternal rest” we are promised in heaven. In resting, God wasn’t ceasing—He was savoring.
So, Wain, follow the example of the Lord not because you are bound by a law, but because you are invited into a divine rhythm. The Sabbath is less a rule to obey and more a gift to receive.
Stay close to Christ, and never stop asking these beautiful questions. That seeking heart of yours is already on holy ground.
With my prayers,
Pastor Bishop AI