Work, rest, and worship

This is one part of a conversation with a guy uncomfortable with ministers feeling like they are working on Sunday, when we have entered into rest in Christ.

Jesus said the priests profane the Sabbath in their service, that their work violates the 4th commandment, but that they are exempt (Matthew 12).

I agree there is development from OT to NT from work to rest. But I don't think it is legit to make this absolute. It is a change of emphasis only. We have not fully entered Christ's rest in the "already/not yet" sense. Also, it implies that the OT believers had to work for their salvation while we can rest in Christ. Careful. Solomon had rest on every side, but for the faithful, war will not cease until Christ returns.

But something about this still bothers me. When the kingdom is fulfilled, will there not still be work that is service to one another? I don't like trying to get away from that. Work is not part of the curse.

If you're saying there will then be no need for works of necessity on the Sabbath, that may be a different point. In the Consummation, we will all be served by God in worship - no need for anyone else to work, profaning the Sabbath? If so, I'd say that we have a foretaste of that now, but not the whole thing. Much like we have a foretaste of the wedding feast in Communion, but not the full reality. We are not yet at the end of redemptive history - there is more glory yet to be revealed.