Genesis 1:31-2:3

The Untitled, Open-Ended Study Bible

Preacher: The Rev. David Collins

February 8, 2026

Subjects

Sabbath, Rest, the Nature of God and the Universe, Creation, Genesis 1:31-2:3

Summary

In this sermon from The Untitled, Open-Ended Study Bible, Rev. David Collins explores a deeply common belief many of us were taught…that everything that happens in the world must be the will of God. Turning to Genesis 1:31–2:3, he challenges that assumption by looking closely at the kind of God the creation story actually reveals.

Rather than a micromanaging or detached deity, Genesis shows us a God who speaks, blesses, names, and ultimately rests. Creation is called “very good” not because it is perfect or finished, but because it is trustworthy…capable of response, responsibility, and relationship. God’s rest is not a footnote, but the climax of the story, revealing a goodness that includes freedom, trust, and risk.

From there, the sermon connects Sabbath to both justice and care…naming rest as resistance in a world driven by endless production, and as grace for those living with anxiety and exhaustion. If the way things are is not automatically the way God wants them to be, then Sabbath becomes an invitation…to rest, to trust, and to take responsibility for how we live in the world God loves.

Learn more or read past sermons:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maitlandpres.org/blog/categories/sermons