Sunday

Last week, we were invited to confront a question that lies at the heart of our faith journey: What are we holding onto that prevents us from fully surrendering to God's will? Through a deeply personal testimony of obedience and loss, we're reminded that God's plans often disrupt our carefully constructed futures. The sermon centers on Genesis 1, but approaches it through an Eastern lens—not as a mere scientific account, but as a poetic revelation of God's character. At the center of this creation narrative lies a Hebrew word, 'moed,' which points us toward rest. This isn't coincidental. God was speaking to a people freshly liberated from Egyptian slavery, where their worth was measured solely by their productivity. Sound familiar? Our culture screams the same lie: you are what you produce, you are what you achieve, you are what you accumulate. But God interrupts this exhausting cycle with a radical invitation to rest—to trust that He is the sustainer, not us. The chiastic structure of Genesis 1 acts as a treasure map, leading us to discover that our value isn't found in doing more, but in being His. When Jesus cried 'It is finished' on the cross, He wasn't starting a to-do list for us to earn salvation; He was declaring the work complete. Our response isn't to work harder, but to surrender fully, laying down the rocks we're clutching—whether careers, relationships, or the exhausting attempt to save ourselves—so our hands are free to receive what God wants to give us.