Frantic packing on Christmas Day just seemed like an extension of the busy holiday season. We had just finished the school term, where I taught, and our three boys attended, three days ago. I hadn’t really had time to unwind, get the house into reasonable shape, or even bake. This is not what Christmas is supposed to be like, I thought to myself.

I had dreams of sitting in the warm house, looking out onto the snow-covered mountains. I would read an absorbing book, one my mum had especially chosen for me as one of my Christmas presents. I could count on her sending a good book, as we lived in a small village while our children were growing up, where a decent novel was a treasure.

The reality of that Christmas was much different. We were leaving on a road trip on Boxing Day (December 26) to drive to Vancouver, BC, an eight-hour drive of nearly 700 km. Instead of relaxing on Christmas Day, I did laundry, ironed, (yes, we did in those days!) organized and packed. Was it fair, when the menfolk watched football on TV? In all fairness, my faithful hubby tackled a lot of jobs — he vacuumed the van, did dishes, got rid of the accumulation of paper, took the meat off the entire turkey and saved the bones to make a future soup, and fried the almonds in tamari soya sauce, a favourite Christmas treat.

A friend from church shared that her relatives were all coming the next day. That seemed more threatening to me than my situation! An Aha! moment, as I saw the circumstances from a different perspective. I realized that if I worked hard that day, I could “rest” the next, sitting in the van doing virtually nothing, while Terry drove. That night, I fell into bed exhausted, but my work was done. And indeed, the next day, I rested.

God also rested. “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work of creation.” (Genesis 2:2 NLT) God rested, not because he was tired, but because His work was completed.

This theme of rest is echoed in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament: “When he [Jesus] had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down at the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3b NLT)

“But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” (Hebrews 10:12 NLT)

Jesus “sat down” to indicate that His work of salvation was finished. No longer did priests at the Temple have to sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. Their sacrifices, repeated annually, were only a temporary covering for sin. Jesus’ sacrifice for sin was permanent; it did away with sin completely. His sacrifice was full and perfect; it didn’t need to be added to.

During this Christmas season, may we realize the importance of rest, both physical and spiritual. May we realize that God, whose work on our behalf is complete, rested. May we, too, rest on His finished work.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that You demonstrated the importance of rest. Help us to rest in You, because of the finished work of Jesus. Amen.

Alice Burnett
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada