Sabbath: A Case Study

Following up last week's blog of reflections on N.T. Wright's newest book, Scripture and the Authority of God, I wan to explore one of the case studies offered at the end of the book. Taking his basic thesis of scripture as a five-act story, Wright shows the interpretation behind how the church today should interact with the commandment to keep the Sabbath. The seemingly obvious contradictions between the Old Testament's commands and the complete lack of mention in the writings of the very Jewish Paul (particularly its absence in his list of the ten commandments in Romans 13)  and Jesus' bold opposition to at least what the the Sabbath had become leaves one to wonder what to do. Wright suggests that we must observe the Sabbath's role in the five-act story if we are to understand why and how the New Testament writers used it.

The first act finds God in the initial creation account. After six days, God finds rest and provides the foundation for Sabbath observance. While the passage is simple, to the culture in which it was first told and then repeated, something much deeper but also obvious is happening on that seventh day. The Genesis account is a near mirror-image of other creation accounts from the ancient middle-east. Yet the striking differences are what make Yahweh the unique God he is. All the creation accounts climax with the creating god/gods residing in a temple, yet in Genesis, God resides in the Temple that is his entire creation and his "image-bearers," humanity, will do what their God does.

Act two involves the fall, albeit the actual occurrence only takes up a mere chapter among the thousands of the Bible the ramification of man's choice to sin are seen on every page that follows. Our role as "image-bearers" is tarnished if not completely ruined in the disobedient act and God sets forth in the third act to to right this wrong to return us to the "rest" in the Temple of the perfect creation. Its is and has been a long process.

The next time we see Sabbath spoken of explicitly is in the dispensation of the Law in Exodus. Interestingly here the Sabbath begins to take up a deeper meaning than mere rest. While its undoubtedly a day to worship God, it is also ties tightly to justice and freedom. God makes it clear that the Sabbath would be a day for slaves to be free, not just from work but there very indentured state.  The Sabbath becomes a day for the poor and even the animals. God is interested in protecting everything in His Temple. Another feature of Sabbath that will eventually bridge us to the forth act is Jubilee.

Jubilee was a an act of year-long Sabbath every seven years when debts were canceled and ever 49 years (seven times seven) liberty for all, returning to ancestral boundaries, freeing slaves, and rest for the land from plowing and harvesting. Isaiah 61 ties Jubilee to Sabbath observance and offers a picture of what Jubilee (and consequently Sabbath) is ultimately pointing towards, the restoration of God's creation and God's people. It is a day when Israel, His people, can not only observe this restoration but take part in implementing it, a great privilege indeed.

This brings us to the fourth act in the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus opens his public ministry by reading from the Jubilee passage from Isaiah 61, announcing the freedom for the captives, good news for the poor, and such. He caps this reading by proclaiming"Today, this  scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." And in those words, His Jewish audience heard Jesus claiming to be the fulfillment of God's plan of restoration, the very thing the sign posts of Sabbath and Jubilee had been pointing to all along. Time had reached the Jubilee of Jubilees. Jesus goes on to make other statements to emphasize the fulfillment of the Sabbath (and also of all markers of God's plan of redemption in the Old Testament). He is the "Lord of the Sabbath," one must come to him to find "rest" and the time is "fulfilled" in the at hand Kingdom.

John conducts a new creation account of sorts in the passion of Jesus. The work of the new creation is "finished" on the sixth day on the cross as Jesus breathes those last words, "it is finished." He finds rest in the grave on the seventh day and "on the first day of the week" Jesus is resurrected and a new creation is born, the first day. The New Testament authors realized the fulfillment of God's plan for Israel coming in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, that a new day, a new act, had dawned with the rising Son. The book of Hebrews make this the most clear in 3:7-4:11 detailing the entire new age inaugurated by Jesus as a great "Sabbath rest." And that we enter God's rest, the seventh day, by faith in Christ.

So we find ourselves in an interpretive dance in the fifth-act. The Sabbath as practiced by the Jews is not to be ignored but cherished as an integral part of our story as the rudder on the ship that brought us across the sea.  Wright sums it up like this:

"My central point in this section, then, is that the Sabbath command of the Old Testament was a true and necessary signpost, pointing forward to God's purposes for his creation and to the place of Israel in relation to those purposes. but it was always, from the perspective of Genesis 2:3, a sign which spoke of God coming to live in his heaven-and-earth creation, taking up residence, dwelling in the midst of his people. ...Sabbath is a sign of the [end] to come; the New Testament speaks of Jesus acting as if he were the [end] in person, sacred time come to life. This...is what lies behind the wholesale disappearance of the Sabbath command in early Christianity. And this is the clue to the way in which the surprisingly complex scriptural material about the Sabbath can be powerfully authoritative for the Christian in our day, or in any day."

Wright goes on to make some applications of how we are to still practice "Sabbath" today but in a relatively new way. To rephrase his quote, one does not place a sign pointing to Memphis at the Peabody. Our rhythms must point forward to the close of this age of fulfillment, to the new heavens and new earth and to celebrate to the presence of the Spirit in our world as opposed to "waiting" on the coming age in rest. As the New Testament states, Now is the time.

Wright paints a compelling picture of the Bible as a five-part play and gives a convincing meta-narrative to not only buy into but to live within. Reading the Bible in the midst of its entire context is a vastly overlooked discipline that as shown in this case study can deliver fresh avenues for God's authority to to work through and in the scriptures. 

Surprised by Joy: The Pursuit of Happiness

The summer of 2004 found me on the journey many of my generation have found themselves on, I was trying to “find myself.” More specifically I was trying to find happiness. I had been diagnosed with depression and placed on medication. While I found some relief in my meds, the depression still placed heavy chains around me.

So in a quest to figure out why I was so sad, I spent the summer engaging in the places, people, and things that had brought me the most happiness in my short life. I built docks with my dad and brother on the coast of South Carolina, I visited my mom in the Ozarks of Arkansas, I traveled across the country following my favorite band at the time, and I spent time with my friends. Each time I would taste the once distant happiness but each time the overwhelming feeling of emptiness would return, but I kept looking.

To read the rest of this second part of a five part series, go The Neighborhood Cafe.

Relationships are Sacred

One of the buzz words populating the ears of today's church is "relationships" and its various derivatives. My own church reminds us each week that "relationships are sacred." And this is a good thing. We see throughout scriptures and our experiences that we (people) were created for community.

In the initial creation account in Genesis, God realizes that while His creation is very good, one thing is not, man is alone. In the final close of the scriptures we see the fulfillment of God's new creation: every tribe, nation, and tongue gathered together. Relationships are so sacred that the very nature of God is relational in the form of the Trinity and in His personal presence with us. Relationships are indeed sacred and good.

However, the modern church suffers from the same ailment most in out current culture does, a lack of connection. In some ways we are more connected than ever before, via email, facebook, smart phones, and on; allowing access to the whole world at our very fingertips. While technology does allow unique opportunities to connect, they pale in comparison to face-to-face relationships.

Yet even when we encounter each other face-to-face we are often more interested in (or distracted by) the person far away via our handheld device of choice. I no longer marvel at people gathered together yet all on their phones as opposed to connected to one another. The consequences of our technology are only symptoms of our totally disconnected culture. We have moved from the front porch to the back and the church has followed suite.

It is a shame that our fellowship often only entails a hand-shake during the appointed times on Sunday morning. And it is out of this shame and rekindled theology that the buzz has grown concerning relationships. The problem is that despite this renewed attention, we are still failing to really connect with one another. There are various causes behind all this, most prominently is that we are all too busy.

I remember living in Arkansas a few years back. I would go visit my grandmother Mary nearly every Saturday morning and every time I never failed to laugh and cry. Those were some of the most genuine moments I have ever shared with another human being. Those time changed me, helped to be alive again after such a long time of not being so. Yet life began to happen and eventually every Saturday turned into every once and awhile. One time, while apologizing for not being around, Grandma said, "well you're busy." Although meant with all the tenderness in the world, few words have stung me more in my life. If I'm too busy for Grandma, I'm busy with all the wrong things. And I think when we say we're too busy, we're revealing our loyalties, that we would rather feed our own needs than offer the sacrifice of quality time.

Yet despite the biblical bookends and God's triune nature, why should we make the effort?

This thing we call Christianity is so much bigger than ourselves. It is more than just a story of how Jesus saves us, it is a cosmic story of the redemption of the entire universe both seen and unseen. And somehow this new creation is being brought into this world through only one source: the church.

Everything, our lives, the earth, our relationships have been subjected to the rule of death and decay. But in the work and person of Jesus Christ, all things are being made new, not least of which is our relationships. We are being reconciled to our former enemy God through the unfailing love of Jesus and that same act of love is breaking down the walls of disconnect no matter how large they may be right now.

Too busy to get together? We are too busy not to get together. Because our relationships are not the stuff of TV sitcoms but a force so powerful angels long to look upon them. These are not shake-your-hand moments but giving our very lives away moments. And it is precisely Jesus' prayer, before his death that will set the whole world on its head, that we should be "one." And it is through that oneness, perhaps only through that oneness, that world will be changed.

Our relationships far transcend a bible study where we acquire more knowledge to ignore, but an opportunity, privilege even, to truly live, embracing the fullness of our humanity in the giving of our very lives. It is of course in the dying that we live. And it is of course in the dying of our self-centeredness that we may live, that the church may live, that the entire world may live again.

I dare not speak these words as one who has authority. I dream of right relationships but only from a distance. There are still strong walls built around me, around each of us, that only the power of the Gospel of the Jesus himself can tear-down. But that is the very beauty of the gospel, it will accomplish its purposes and these walls will come tumbling down and we will find ourselves at Grandma's on Saturday, changing the world through our laughter and tears.

Reflections on Scripture and the Authority of God

I am currently reading through N.T. Wright's latest book, Scripture and the Authority of God. Wright here seeks to look freshly at the question of sriptural authorty, in essence asking the question, "what does it mean for the bible to be authoritative?" 

Wright's basic thesis is that the authority of scripture is not found as just a collection of correct instructions, a devotional manual, or a laundry-list of doctrines but is bound up in the One who has all authority, Jesus himself. The scriptures do not merely contain information about God and His story of redemption but takes an active part in that very story. In essence, the Bible holds power because God is exercising power through it. In defense of this basic argument, Wright gives a brief history of how the role of scriptural authority has developed within the church. 

One chapter that interested me most concerned how the early church viewed the Old Testament  Against claims that Christians merely pick and choose their favorite OT laws to follow or not follow, Wright asserts that the scripture's role in announcing the climax of Israel's story led to a natural understanding of fulfillment in Jesus. Thus the OT was not ignored but viewed with reverence in its detailing of the grand narrative of which the church then and now finds itself in the final act. Thus the OT cannot be ignored or forgotten, but must also be viewed in light of the revelation of Jesus Christ.

One quote that illustrated how the early church viewed the OT is worth repeating at length:

"When travelers sail across a vast ocean and finally arrive on the distant shore, they leave the ship behind and continue over land, not because the ship was no good, or because their voyage had been misguided, but precisely because both ship and voyage had accomplished thier purpose. During the new, dry-land stage of their journey, the travelers remain--and in this illustration must never forget that they remain--the people who made the voyage in that ship." Wright, 57

This does not mean the OT must be set aside, but merely that its role in defining the community must be set aside not because it is out-of-date or misinformed but because its purposes have been fulfilled. Even staunch OT literalists will not defend the practice of sacrifice because the role of sacrifice is no longer needed in light of Jesus' once-and-for-all atonement. This is not the only section of the OT now fulfilled in its purpose and thus not tossed aside but given new life in Jesus. 

Wright later offers a case study of how we are to interpret the OT in this light of the refined understanding. I will post next Tuesday evening some reflections on this case study.

The Power of Fiction

On J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series:

Like Lewis, Williams, and other greats, Rowling has written a spiritual allegory of the soul's transformation to perfection in Christ. Fiction, as philosopher and historian of religion Mircea Eliade explained in The Sacred and the Profane, serves a religious function in a secular culture. Moderns are immunized against sacramental experience, prayer, and worship, yet still long for the transcendent, something beyond the ego. We find it in sports, film, and music, but most powerfully in books, especially in novels in which the heart recognizes its reflection in a character like Harry. We recognize and imaginatively experience our hearts' end in Christ's victory over death. -John Granger

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/july/harryherestay.html

What Did You Get Out of Church Today?

When Michala and I first moved out here to Denver just over two years ago, we discovered the joy of church-dating. For the uninformed, this is when you attend a handful of churches and 'try them out.' When you find the one, you commit, just like dating. And just like dating, there are awkward churches, quirky churches, very attractive churches with no depth, and if you're lucky, that perfectly imperfect place that just feels right.

Each time we visited a church we would quiz each other following the service, asking all sorts of questions to see if we both agreed in our admiration, apathy, or disgust. We would ask, "what did you get out of that?" This seems like a perfectly valid question, one that no doubt takes place every Sunday after church all over the country. What we implied in this question was how we were served: "was the preaching good?"  "Did we enjoy the music?" "Did they have child care?" These are important questions to ask, but I now see they are also misguided questions to ask.

The core around which Sunday morning gatherings are centered is worship of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit. Nothing more, nothing less. This can look a number of ways, singing, praying, conversation, thanksgiving, thinking deeply, but put simply it is an act of love.

Our worship has zilch to do with "what we get" and everything to do with what we offer. This is not another opportunity to feed our egos bloated by a system of consuming that makes us insatiable. We gather to give our meager lives together to the one who gives every good gift.

The receiving of good gifts comes with our every breath, each meal, each smile, and every child. The trees and the mountains are given to us to enjoy and it is only natural that we respond with praise. This is what Sunday morning is all about. Instead of asking "what did you get?" we can ask "what did you give?"

This giving goes far beyond our finances and demands our minds, hands, and hearts, our very being. And yet this is a free sacrifice, God does not look out at our confused, hap-hazard attempts to say thanks and say, "that's it?" Instead he joins in the dance of giving and gives us the greatest gift ever, Himself.

Jesus hinted at this mystery of receiving in our giving, when he said that to find our lives, we must first die. When our weekly meetings become another opportunity to consume, we miss everything. Instead, let us have the mind of Christ who being God himself, humbled himself to execution and in the doing found himself seated at the right-hand of the Father and also found us all.

Michala and I did not settle for the "one." We did not find our home until we found a church that would not let us remain comfortable, that forced us to give of ourselves, and asked a lot of us. We were too busy loving these imperfect people and loving a perfect God together to ask if this was the 'one?" It just was. I've come to realize their is no perfect church and this forces me to stop critiquing the church and simply commit.

May we seek to be a committed people, not seeking to be filled but to be emptied. To give back our money, time, energy, minds, and hearts and to maybe find a God who gives us everything we need.

A Seat at the Neighborhood Cafe

Here's my weekly contribution to our Church's blog:
http://bibleconversation.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/a-seat-at-the-table/

Craddock Speaks

An amazing sermon by Fred Craddock:

http://edge.baylor.edu/media/69133/69133.mp3

All is Grace

I have written about Brennan several times, from his insistence that we should never 'should' on ourselves, to his simple words of grace, "lets play." Few living christian authors or speakers have impacted me as much as Brennan. With his health deteriorating, nearly blind, Brennan has finally co-authored his autobiography, a story of severe brokenness and even greater grace. Above is a promo video for the book from fantastic (non-profit) publisher David C. Cook.

I can't wait to read this book, but in the mean time here are a few of my favorite Manning quotes:

"A Saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God."

"When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. I am trusting and suspicious. I am honest and I still play games. Aristotle said I am a rational animal; I say that I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer."

"There is something more important than understanding."

There are countless others and as I come across them I will share them with you in anticipation of Brennan's final book, All is Grace

Final Thoughts on Silence

Here is my final installment of my series on Silence at The Neighborhood cafe:

http://bibleconversation.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/be-still-final-hurried-thoughts-on-silence/

I will continue to publish there every Monday.

What is a Trader?

Hope is bursting forth into our dark worlds and somehow we have the ability to carry its banner.