‘You Never Stop Working’

Abstract

Theological analysis of the most popular worship song lyrics reflects that American Christians may be singing the American work ethic to the God who rested. Employing Brueggeman’s Sabbath as Resistance and Heschel’s The Sabbath alongside current discussions in evangelical liturgical studies, this article seeks to answer the following: 1) do the current most utilized congregational songs in America reveal a God who rests, and 2) what lyrical or musical possibilities exist to embody a theology of Sabbath rest. This analysis highlights liturgical and theological dissonance, while exploring musical and lyrical models that display a God who rests in an overworked culture.