Rhythm of Work & Rest
January 25, 2026
Third Sunday after Epiphany - Amos 3:1–11; Psalm 139:1–18; 1 Cor. 1:10–17; Matt. 4:12–22
Have you ever noticed that some of our most quarrelsome seasons are also our most frantic? When we’re tired, we become touchy. When we’re overextended, we become suspicious. When we’re stressed, we stop listening to each other—and to God. If you’re reading this while mentally calculating your to-do list, feeling that familiar knot of anxiety about everything you need to accomplish, then this message is especially for you. Because in our culture—especially in SoCal—exhaustion can become a badge. It can feel like proof that we matter, that we’re needed, that we’re responsible. But in the Kingdom, exhaustion can also be a warning light.
God Speaks Before We Plan
The Church, in her wisdom, gives us Scriptures that are not “annual meeting” texts—meaning, they were not chosen to match our agenda. And that’s exactly what we need. If we are going to grow into healthier, holier rhythms—work and true rest, labor and Sabbath—then we must start where we always start: not with our plans, but with God’s voice. Not with our striving, but with His calling. Not with a calendar, but with Christ. Let me put our theme into one sentence—simple enough to remember, and true enough to live: This year, we are learning the obedience of Sabbath—so our work flows from worship and rest. That is not a slogan. It is discipleship. It is a return to sanity in a world that profits from our exhaustion.
“Hear” — The Starting Point for All Renewal
In Amos 3:1, the prophet begins with a command that is easy to overlook: “Hear this word that the LORD has spoken…” This is the posture of covenant. God speaks. He makes promises. He gives commands. And there are many ways to evade His voice: rebellion, distraction, and simple busyness—the kind that never says “no,” never stops, never pauses long enough to listen. Amos 3:7 contains a line that is almost frightening in its logic: “The Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” God speaks before He acts. He warns before He disciplines. He calls before He corrects. Which means: if our lives are too loud, too packed, too hurried, we will miss not only His comfort, but His correction. We will mistake urgency for obedience. We will confuse activity with faithfulness.
You Can Stop Striving Because You Are Known
Then Psalm 139 comes like balm: “O LORD, you have searched me and known me…” This psalm exposes why so many of us struggle with true rest. Much of our overwork is not actually about duty. It is about identity. We keep going because we are afraid—afraid of falling behind, disappointing others, being seen as weak, or discovering that we are only as valuable as what we produce. But Psalm 139 declares: “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb…” Before you achieved anything, before you carried anything, before you fixed anything—you were known. You were formed. You were held. You are not a machine or a commodity; you are a creature—made by God, sustained by God, loved by God. And the psalm dares to say: “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God…” God’s thoughts toward you are not cold. They are precious, many, and faithful.
Unity Through Shared Rhythms
In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul appeals to a fractured church: “that there be no divisions among you…” The Corinthians were spiritual, gifted, active—and fractured. They knew how to argue about who was right. And here is something we rarely admit: hurry breeds division. When we are constantly rushing, we lose patience, we stop listening, we grow suspicious. Paul refuses to indulge it: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?” There is only one Savior, one Cross, one baptism into one Lord. Part of our pursuit of unity—real unity—will come through shared practices that slow us down and center us again in Christ.
Following Jesus Always Touches Everything, Even the Calendar
In Matthew 4, Jesus announces: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Repent means: turn around. Re-order your life because a new reality has arrived. Then Jesus calls fishermen—working men with nets in their hands—and says, “Follow me.” And they respond: “Immediately they left their nets… Immediately they left the boat…” The nets weren’t sinful. The boat wasn’t evil. But none of it could remain ultimate. Jesus did not merely add religion to their schedule. He rearranged their whole life around Himself. Following Jesus always touches the calendar—how we work, when we stop, what we say yes to, and what we refuse.
The Rhythm of Work and True Rest
May we learn the rhythm of work and true rest, together—Sabbath as obedience, not luxury. When God finished His work of creation, He rested. Not because He was tired, but because He was teaching His creatures how to live: work is good, and rest is holy. When God delivered Israel from slavery, He commanded Sabbath, because slaves do not get to stop. Sabbath is how God makes His people free. Our culture disciples us into the opposite rhythm: hurry, anxiety, constant availability, endless input, and a quiet belief that we are only safe if we are always on. But Jesus says, ‘Follow me.’ Not ‘Follow the pace of your inbox.’ Not ‘Follow the tyranny of the urgent.’ Follow me.
Putting It Into Practice
God built Sabbath into creation—not because He was tired, but to teach us that work is good and rest is holy. When He freed Israel from slavery, He commanded Sabbath because slaves do not get to stop—Sabbath is God’s gift of freedom. And every Lord’s Day we are re-formed into a people who live by God’s time, not Pharaoh’s.
Sabbath is not merely “a day off.” It is a way of life where worship, rest, and delight are received as faithful discipleship, and the other six days are lived differently so Sabbath can truly happen. Our culture trains us into hurry, anxiety, and constant availability, but Jesus says, “Follow me.”
So our theme this year is simple: we are learning the obedience of Sabbath—so our work flows from worship, rest, and delight. Each of us can begin with one step: choose a weekly Sabbath window (24 hours if possible, or start with 6–12) and guard it with worship, rest, and delight.
Rest is not laziness—it is obedience and trust in God. For families, this might look like an unhurried meal, fewer errands, and shared delight. And as All Saints, we are committing to a healthier culture that does not glorify exhaustion, but makes room for prayer, wise boundaries, and sustainable service. This is not a gimmick—it is discipleship: “God is God, and I am not.” COME LEARN MORE IN OUR LENTEN STUDY BEGINNING IN A FEW WEEKS.