Rev and Restore -- Genesis 1:1-2:4 (Trinity Sunday)
- Scott Clark
- 1 day ago
- 10 min read
Photo credit: Jakob Suklowski, used with permission via Unsplash
Creation begins with a breath.
All is chaos, and then God breathes.
God’s breath broods over the deep –
God breathing in, God breathing out.
And creation comes to life.
Creation begins with a breath,
and then there is a pulse – a rhythm –
God says let there be,
and God creates.
and God sees what God has made,
and God says that it is good.
Again and again. The pulsing of creation. Day after day.
There is, in the creating – a rhythm –
God breathing in and out.
And with God’s breathing,
the very heart of creation begins to beat.
This is one of the creation stories in the Bible – there are several.[1] There’s this story in Genesis 1. There’s one in Genesis 2 that will be more intimate; God will shape humans out of the dirt, and breathe life into them. There’s a creation story in Proverbs – Woman Wisdom, there with God in the creating. There’s one at the start of the Gospel of John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And there are little creation stories in the Psalms and in the prophets.
This is something cultures do – way back then and now. They think together, we dream together, and tell a story about how all this came to be. In the biblical world, each nation or tribe would likely have had their own way of explaining things. Today, the way we tell it would likely blend story with science.
Genesis 1 goes big, and paints with broad strokes.[2] From vast chaos, God spins out the universe and everything in it – from the critters that crawl the earth to the bright lights in the sky – our planets and sun – and others. Scholars think this account of creation was written relatively late – probably after Jerusalem had been leveled and the people taken into captivity in Babylon – maybe years after that, as they had returned home to the rubble.[3] Their world had been smashed.
And so, with the rhythm and structure of this story –
and there was evening/ and there was morning,
the first day.../ and then the next...
and then the next...
with that rhythm and structure, they are giving order to disorder. Out of the lament of exile and life in the rubble – they are assuring each other that God is stronger than the powers – that creation is good – and that “the world is still reliable.”[4]
The Genesis 1 creation story gives great weight to the creative power not only of God, but of humanity and all creation. God creates light and darkness, night and day, and all the moments in between; sky, ground, and sea; plants and trees; birds to fill the skies, fish to swim the seas; and animals to move across the earth – including us. God creates humans in the image of God –and gives us the ability to create more life – inviting us and all creation to be fruitful – to bear fruit – to create, with each other and with God.
There is rhythm, and order, and structure. As one writer puts it: In Days One through Three, God creates the spaces. In Days Four through Six, God fills the spaces.[5] And along the way, God creates humanity and all creation, so that, together, we can keep on creating.
One of the things that stands out in this particular creation story – different from other creation stories of their day – is what happens on the Day Seven: God rests. Into the rhythm of creation, God builds in a pause. God rests at the end of each day – and then on the seventh day. God rests – and reflects – and enjoys creation. God enjoys what God has made. Oh, this is good. God builds into creation a rhythm of creative action, followed by rest, renewal, and restoration.
Day One, Day Two, Day Three – the story is filled with this swirl of activity: creating, creating, creating. And then.. rest.
That is the rhythm of this story, and of life.
And that is science, too.
I was listening a couple weeks ago to a podcast about sleep – about the value and necessity of sleep. The podcast was an interview with Dr. Sara Mednick, who is a neuroscientist at UC Irvine. Mednick talks about sleep as a necessary restorative part of our daily living.[6] Our body is active all day, and then as it sleeps – Mednick and other sleep researchers have found that while we sleep, our brain goes into this restorative rhythm of activity and rest in what they call “slow waves.” Particularly in deep sleep, our brain cycles through moments when all of the neurons are firing, and then moments when everything rests. There is an “upstate” and then a “downstate” – or what Mednick calls – a rhythm of Rev and Restore – the brain revs up// and then it rests and restores. It’s one of the ways that our brain and body restore themselves while we sleep.
But Mednick’s bigger observation is that this Rev and Restore rhythm – it’s part of everything we do. It is what she calls “a central principle of all our biological states.” All of our systems have this rhythm of intense activity, and then restoration – our nervous systems, our metabolic system, our muscular system, our cardiovascular system. Think about it – we exercise, and then we cool down. In emergencies, our bodies find the energy they need, our heart beats faster, and then we catch our breath, and our pulse slows. Everything, everyone, every part of us, Mednick says, needs a “downstate.” Rev and restore. Our bodies are doing this all the time. We are rhythmic creatures.
So, back thousands of years ago, when folks were trying to figure out how the world works – how it all started – and they explained things in Genesis 1 with this rhythm of a six-day burst of activity, followed by a day of rest – six days of Rev and a full day of Restore – they were on to something. That is how we are made.
Now we know that this was more than just a story for them. As they lived their life before, during, and after exile – they built this rhythm of rev and restore into their daily communal life – centering the importance of Sabbath rest. They made it a commandment.
Eugenia Gamble – our pastor back in Birmingham and a mentor of mine – has written a lovely book on the 10 Commandments: Words of Love: A Healing Journey with the Ten Commandments.[7] When she writes of the Sabbath commandment, Eugenia says that the “Sabbath teaches us that life has a rhythm” and that it is “baked into creation.”[8] This rhythm of work and rest – rev and restore – it is part of the creating nature of God, and of those who are made in God’s image. As Eugenia puts it, “If human beings are to mirror God on earth, as beings created in God’s image, then stopping, observing, resting, and being are all necessary.”[9] And then, for those of us who may find that letting go – that stopping -- difficult, Eugenia assures us: “God can manage the universe just fine for 24 hours without us doing anything.”[10]
Years, and months, and days – they have something to do with the movement of the earth, the moon, and the sun. This seven-day week, punctuated by a day of rest – whether intended or not – it taps into this biological cycle of rev and rest. It’s about how we move around, sustainably, creatures on this planet, while it turns on its axis, encircled by the moon, all of us travelling around one among billions of stars. How do we honor and build that rhythm into the lives we live?
There’s sabbath practice – one day in seven set aside for rest from work. In the past couple centuries, the concept of a weekend emerged; society has come to value putting parameters on the work week, to assure rest for those who labor. Certain professions honor and value sabbaticals – I have a sabbatical coming up later this year.
As we have been thinking about that sabbatical time, we’ve been thinking of how it might be not only a time of renewal for the pastor, but also a time of renewal for the whole community – for you. You had some early conversations last year, and in just a bit Gina will come and say a bit more about how the renewal team is imagining a time of congregational renewal – and how you might share with the team – what makes your heart sing – your ideas of what might bring life in this season of renewal.
This rhythm of rev and restore has something to do with our creative life. This Genesis 1 story tells us that we are created to create, to make something in this world, for good. In our life here, you’ve created together a community fridge; you’ve created a guest room; you’ve created a network of mutual care; we create music and beauty. And alongside the work all that takes, our bodies and our creative spirit need time and space to restore – to refill.
This rhythm of rev and restore has implications for our justice work. The Sabbath command is a justice command. The Sabbath command is explicitly for all who labor – one of the earliest labor laws. “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Six days you are to work, but the seventh is a Sabbath. On it neither you, nor your children, nor your servants, nor the immigrants living in the midst of you, not even your animals shall do work.” Everyone needs rest. Everyone gets rest.
That comes with some complexity. Earlier this month when we were talking about supporting the May 1 day of “no work, no school, no shopping”– we realized that asking folks to stay away from work for a day has different consequences for different people. It’s one thing for those of us who are salaried or retired – but for anyone who works for an hourly wage, not coming to work means not getting paid that day. How do we create and shape systems that ensure that everyone gets that rest – to protect that essential human rhythm of rev and restore?
This rhythm of rev and restore has implications for all creation, not just for humans. This creation story holds those words that have proved so problematic over time – that God gives “dominion” to humans – that humans are to subdue creation. Much of humanity has taken that as a license to dominate and control. Royce has started us thinking about how that has played out in the form of “human supremacy” in creating the current climate collapse.
And, there is so much more going on in this story. That word “dominion” comes in the context of a story peopled not only by humans, but by all creation. It comes in the context of a story, where humans are made in the image of a God who creates, and then loves and cares for all that God has created. Made in the image of God, we are called to relate to the whole of creation as God does – not in systems of domination, but “to care for creation in ways that help the earth and all living beings become the best they can be.”[11]
Domination isn’t the main theme of this story... at all... this story calls us to live in relationships of mutuality with all creation, where every bit of creation participates in the rhythm of rest, renewal, and restoration.
We have covered a lot of ground. We’ve gone from the vast expanse of the heavens to the intricate world of our cells, and then back out again to all creation, all of it pulsing with this rhythm of rev and restore.
I don’t know what may have caught your attention.
Maybe you’re thinking about how that rev and restore rhythm comes to life in your body and your life. Maybe you want to explore practices that give you (and others) more space for that “restore.” Building in sabbath time off. Taking time for mindfulness of breath. I’ve realized that my mindfulness practices are concentrated in the morning, so I’m going to give some thought as to how I might do more mindful breathing throughout the day – breaking up that Revving, with a bit more regular Restoring.
Or maybe you’re thinking of how you – how we could leave a bit more space for doing that Pentecost thing of dreaming dreams, and seeing visions.
Or maybe you’re thinking of our justice work here – how might we be more mindful of giving rest to those who labor? Helping to reshape unjust economic systems where we get more rest than others do – seeing the need for rest, renewal, and restoration as part of everyone’s being human.
Or maybe you’re thinking of what it might mean to give creation a rest – a rest from our dominating, wasting, consuming ways – cultivating a re-oriented mindset and worldview that sees humanity mutually connected to all creation – one heartbeat, one pulse.
I want to invite us to end where we began – where this story begins: with some breathing.
Take a moment and settle back in, and let’s bring our attention back to our breath. Breath in, and breath out. Notice how that breathing feels in your body. Where do you feel it the most? In your nose and mouth, as you breathe the cool air in? Or in your shoulders as they rise and fall? Or in your midsection as it expands and contract with each breath?
I’ve been doing this mindful breathing for several years now, and a couple of months ago I noticed something. In between those breaths, there is a pause.
I breathe in. I breathe out. (3 beats)
And there are a few seconds before I breathe back in.
See if you notice.
Breathe in. Breathe out. (3 beats)
Our breath... has built into it... a little bit of rest.
Our breath... has built into it... this rev and restore.
Every breath we take includes some rest – a moment in each breath to rest, renew, and restore.
Creation begins with a breath, and then there is this rhythm,
from the beginning until now, this pulse,
all creation, coming to life, together.
© 2026 Scott Clark
[1] See Coote, infra, pp.29-38.
[2] For background on this Scripture and the book of Genesis, see Robert B. Coote & David Robert Ord, In the Beginning: Creation and the Priestly History (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 199); Ellen F. Davis, Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament(Lanham, MD; Roman Littlefield Publishers, 2001); Terence E. Fretheim, “The Book of Genesis,” New Interpreters’ Bible Commentary, vol.i (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1994), pp.338-47; Lynn Japinga, Commentary in Connections, Year A, vol.3 (Louisville, KY; Westminster John Knox Press, 2019), pp.3-5 ; Rodney S. Sadler, Jr., in The Africana Bible: Reading Israel’s Scriptures from Africa and the African Diaspora(Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2010); Kee Boem So, Commentary in Commentary in Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year A(Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), p.256-58.
[3] See Japinga, p.4; Coote, supra.
[4] See Japinga, p.4.
[5] See Japinga, p.3.
[6] See https://05620661-2103-4fe0-9ab9-92bfc4d9cf22.libsyn.com/the-science-of-sleep-why-youre-up-at-3am-and-why-worrying-about-it-makes-it-worse-sara-mednick ; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-happier-with-dan-harris/id1087147821?i=1000767252648 ; see also https://www.salon.com/2022/04/15/rest-doesnt-just-mean-sleep-what-downstate-means-and-why-you-need-more-of-it/
[7] See Eugenia Anne Gamble, Words of Love: A Healing Journey with the Ten Commandments (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Publishing, 2022).
[8] Id. pp.66-67.
[9] Id.
[10] Id. p.69.
[11] See Fretheim, p. 345-46; Kee, p.257.Note also that this Genesis 1 creation story is joined together and flows into the creation story in Genesis 2 – an earthier story, where humans are made and shaped from the earth. The Hebrew word for human comes from the Hebrew word for dirt, for earth, for the fertile dust of the earth. Davis, p.188-92 (noting that humans are created “to till and tend” the land, which Davis translates as “to serve and keep watch over”).