I\u2019ve been given a fresh perspective on the start of the school year courtesy of my own son starting at college. We helped him to move in a couple of weekends ago, following a 950-mile road trip. Though my wife and I are confident in his ability to find his way and thrive so far from home, the temptation to compensate for the distance by incessantly contacting him is strong. Mostly, we\u2019re succeeding by reminding ourselves that he\u2019s up to the challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this in my head, I was pleasantly struck by Kara Root\u2019s observation that the description of God, resting on the seventh day of creation, might be imagined as the Trinity stepping back from all the creative work, and saying with joy to creation \u201cI love watching you be you.<\/em>\u201c<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I find compelling about this insight \u2014 apart from the reminder that I need to let my son do his thing and find joy in that \u2014 is that it places the seventh-day rest (a.k.a. The Sabbath) into a context of relationship. When regarded in this way, rest is not an absence of activity, but a presence with and for one another that is all about appreciation and thanksgiving. It isn\u2019t about getting anything done or doing nothing, it\u2019s about loving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This relational dynamic is illustrated by the work of the artists who created the mosaics that line the domed ceiling in the atrium of Saint Mark\u2019s Basilica in Venice. This monumental mosaic presents the whole story of creation from the first day to Adam and Eve\u2019s fall into sin using designs drawn from the lavish illustrations created for a fifth-century copy of the Book of Genesis in Greek made in Alexandria Egypt. The detailed color pictures accompany the biblical text so that the whole thing works almost like a comic book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the creation account, the artist presents each of the days of creation as individual angels. They are personifications of the divine word in action, making everything that is. So there\u2019s an angel dividing light from darkness and another separating the water from the land. As each day progresses, the preceding angels are in the scene, watching as God (who is pictured as Jesus Christ, the divine Word<\/a>) and that day\u2019s angel do their thing. Each of the pictures read clearly until the seventh day, the day of rest. The \u201cproblem\u201d is there\u2019s nothing for the seventh-day angel to do! <\/p>\n\n\n\n There is only just to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see in the detail above, the angels of the six previous days are all lined up three on each side of Jesus\u2019 throne. The angel of the seventh day is simply present, receiving a blessing which is a sign of God\u2019s love for creation. The banner above the scene reads \u201cET B[ENE]DIX[IT] DIEI SEPT[IM]O\u201d \u201cAnd [God] blessed the seventh day.\u201d (Genesis 2:3<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, some of us do our best resting alone. We need time by ourselves to recharge. But lots of us are not resting when we\u2019re by ourselves. We\u2019re isolated by the tasks we\u2019re trying to manage and hope to perform to expectation. Sure, our devices keep us connected, but mostly they keep us distracted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why we who serve in the Division of Calling and Spiritual Life are proposing an initiative we\u2019re calling Reset\/Refresh<\/em>. We\u2019re committing to putting down our phones and tablets and setting aside our lists at 10 a.m. each weekday for 40 minutes, and we invite you to consider doing the same for some or all of the days. Yes, there will be a Morning Prayer service in the Chapel of the Resurrection at 10:10am, and you\u2019re welcome to attend. You could also find a friend and go for a walk if the weather is good, or you could sit down for a cup of coffee. It\u2019s just good to set the time aside to be with one another, so say \u201cI love watching you be you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be blessed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pr. Jim<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rev. Katherine Museu<\/a>s<\/em> and Rev. James A. Wetzstein<\/a> serve as university pastors at the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University and take turns writing weekly devotions<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can learn more about the mosaics of Saint Mark\u2019s Basilica in Venice in a <\/em>comprehensive study by Otto Demus<\/em><\/a> in the collection of the Christopher Center.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve been given a fresh perspective on the start of the school year courtesy of my own son starting at college. 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Wetzstein<\/a>","CSL Newsletter Devotionals<\/a>"],"unlinked":["James A. Wetzstein<\/span>","CSL Newsletter Devotionals<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 1 month ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on August 23, 2023","modified":"Updated on October 2, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on August 23, 2023 8:04 pm","modified":"Updated on October 2, 2026 7:47 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"ELC858485 Cupola of the Creation or Genesis, (mosaic) by Italian School, (13th century); Basilica di San Marco, Venice, Italy; (add.info.: All. 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