By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:2–3 (NIV)
Yesterday, at the funeral of a member of our church, I heard these verses from our Bible in an entirely new way. Kathy—whose funeral it was—was known to all of us because every Easter she would read the story of the seven days of creation. Kathy was blind, and for close to two decades she would proclaim this story on Holy Saturday. She read it in braille, as the congregation sat listening in semidarkness from the pews.
At her funeral, we had a bit of a shock: as we settled in to hear the first reading, we were greeted by Kathy’s voice, clear as day, proclaiming to us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . .” (Genesis 1:1, NIV). Apparently the pastor had recorded Kathy last Easter, so we got to hear this story in her voice one last, beautiful, memorable time.
As we listened, teary-eyed, the end of the story opened up a new understanding in my heart. God’s “resting from all the work of creating” was death—in this case Kathy’s death. She had come to the end of her days, and now she could rest in God. This rest was something blessed, something holy. I experienced Kathy’s death as a space in which all the holy creativity of her life could come to fruition and be celebrated. I felt Jesus embrace Kathy in the arms of His resurrection, once again changing my perception of death into holy victory.
Faith Step: Is there a loss you are mourning? Ask Jesus to show you the ways in which this loss is a necessary rest from the work of creation. Ask Jesus to bless you in your loss.
