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. 

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.

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

Patched Together

Last year as I traveled to and from my family in Arkansas, I devoured a little book called Patched Together by Brennen Manning. Manning, more than any author or speaker has inspired me and shaped my faith. I was privileged to hear him speak on the furious love of God for us in 2006 and his words of faith forever changed me.  I have since read some of his work, mostly non-fiction that deals with aspects of God's love for us, but this book, a piece of fiction was the simplest yet most profound work of Manning's I have yet encountered.

The book was given to me at a conference by a representative from David C. Cook publishing out of Colorado Springs. I shared my testimony of renewed love that stemmed form Manning's work. The story seemed both routine and invigorating for him, I imagine that he meets people everyday touched by Manning's honesty and truth and yet each encounter gives him hope as well. He informed me that Manning was rather ill, almost fully blind and near death even. He promised to give the book if I promised to pray for Brennen. It was an easy promise to make.

The story is autobiographical while still being fiction. We see the life of a man in three stages from childhood to death and the struggles that present themselves but most importantly the impossible victories as well. Not once was I spell-bound by some  fancy prose but always I was enthralled with the rawness of Willie Juan's life and his encounters with the Man of Sorrows. With grace, Manning weaves together a patchwork tapestry of life, love, pain, death, and mercy. Thankfully Manning is still with us and his actual autobiography is coming soon. But in the meantime, I encourage you to find yourself patched together and to join me in my promise to pray for this man.

Light Reading

For my fellow bibliophiles here is a quick rundown of my current reads and what's on deck.


First And Second Samuel, Walter Brueggemann - I've come to really enjoy reading a commentary all the way through. Brueggemann has a scholar's mind and a poet's eye.


Lake Wobegon Days, Garrison Keillor - A masterful storyteller and down-right funny


Evil and the Justice of God, N. T. Wright - I am becoming a student of Wright's work and can't wait to wrestle with the hardest question of our time with him: "what to do with evil?"


Setting the Table, Danny Meyer - A restaurant entrepreneur's memoir focusing on the art of hospitality


Tell it Slant, Eugene Peterson - My reading for Lent, Peterson is quickly becoming my favorite author, similar to Brueggemann but also with a pastor's heart


Kindle- I know, why have all these actual books if I have a Kindle? I just can't give them up! On deck in the ebook world: Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton and The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennen Manning.


Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe - My all-time favorite work of fiction


Mystery and Manners, Flannery O'Conner - A collection of essays on faith, writing, and the south from another of my favorite fiction authors. What a storyteller!


Classic Colorado Summit - Gearing up for mountaineering this summer


Life With God, Richard Foster - Foster's work on the discipline of spiritual reading and study. I've been putting this one off too long.


Father, Son, and Spirit, Andreas Kostenberger and Scott R. Swain -A biblical theology study of the Gospel of John's portrayal of the Trinity, really enjoyed Professor Blomberg's additions to this series.


Bird by Bird, Anne Lamont - The humility and honesty with which Lamont writes comes through even stronger in this work on writing. What a valuable resource, it was the primary inspiration for me to write 3 blogs a week.


A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis - I have enjoyed Lewis so far and look forward to reading this personal book about the loss of his wife, I have much to learn in the realm of grief.

The Great Omission, Dallas Willard - A modern William Carey, Willard here is calling us to the heart of the Great Commission: to make disciples not merely converts.

Secrets in the Dark, Frederick Buechner - A collection of sermons, most of which I've read, that I want to finish this year. Buechner inspired the name of this blog and has been my greatest influence in the art of preaching.

Sermons from Duke Chapel, edited by William Willimon - Over 50 years of diverse sermons each prefaced by Willimon, this is a treasure.

So what are you reading? Share a picture like mine perhaps, but let us know. Enjoy Palm Sunday.

Peace.

Whatever is Lovely

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Well now that the Christmas wrapping carnage has been cleared away and the vertigo has begun to subside I wonder about tomorrow, the day after.  December 26th is a lot like a hangover as we feel the pain inflicted upon ourselves by over-indulging.  I get a little depressed after "Joy to the World" as I begin to think of getting back to normal.  One of the ways I cope is to reflect upon the good this year has brought.  While it had definitely brought its share of bad, 2010 also gave me moments that offered me a bit of hope for the next year.  I wonder what fed you this year? What piece of art or literature moved you to look outside of yourself? What relationship changed the way you felt about life? How did you live a better story in 2010?  I hope that in this last week of 2010 we can, as Paul says in the scripture above, dwell on the good and, in so doing, ignite a passion to reach for the lovely this next year.

Being a bibliophile (look it up) one area I love to dwell on is what I read this past year.  Here are some of the  books I read that made an impact on me in 2010:

Patched Together by Brennen Manning
A fictional rendition of Manning's story, this simple read exposed my doubts and wickedness and also yet awoken a greater sense of gratitude for such a wonderful Savior.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
I reviewed this book in detail here.  In trying to turn his life into a movie, Miller is faced with reality that his is not a good story.  This memoir challenged me tho view my life as a story and to know the author and to live a better story.

The Practice of the Prescence of God by Brother Lawrence
This medieval devotional classic pressed me to know God in a very intimate and immediate way.  I perhaps will always wrestle with this book and with my God but I thank them both for drawing me into the match.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
This one was hard for me.  This fictional account of a failed Jesuit mission to an alien planet was haunting and disturbing.  Yet, it made me ask some hard questions about my faith, like if we thank God for good things should we not blame Him for the bad.  I was forced to evaluate what I thought about Providence and mercy and came out the other side knowing my God all the more closer.

What did you read this year?

These next few days I will talk about other areas that inspired me in 2010 like music and relationships.

Review and Devotion Thoughts on A Million Miles

 After reading Blue Like Jazz a few years ago, I became a fan of Donald Miller’s work.  In that memoir he gives a humble and fresh perspective on the journey of faith.  His experiences, struggles, and desires resonated with me as I wrestled with what my faith was all about.  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years picks up Miller’s life story where his previous work left off.  He has found himself stalled wondering what his life is becoming and as he is forced to 'edit his life' for a movie adaptation of Blue Like Jazz, he is awakened to the reality that his life, his story, is not worth telling; propelling him into a spiritual quest to begin living a good story.  As I read this book, I too was faced with the boring reality that is my life but also with the vast potential my story possesses.  I, like Miller, want to live a good story.

            Miller exhibits masterful control of conversational language that draws the reader into his story, allowing them to participate not merely observe.  This gift is the force behind Miller’s popularity and is what makes his work so convincing.  Here in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Miller brings his audience along for a new spiritual quest, to find meaning and purpose in life.  He is thrust into this journey when a couple of film-makers desire to turn his memoir into a movie.  Miller is stunned to discover the amount of rewriting is needed to turn his best-selling book into a movie people will actually want to see.  In the process of rewriting, Miller begins to explore the components of story and apply them to his life.  He boils down a definition of story as “a character that wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.”  Miller contrasts our lives against this definition through the illustration of a man who really wants to buy a Volvo, so he saves up for three years and is finally able to buy a Volvo.  Miller declares that if we saw a movie about this we say that this story “sucks" and thus maybe our lives suck too.  He proposes that we change our desires for what we want.  Miller’s quest takes him to seek reconciliation with his dad, to hike the Incan trail, to bike across America, but most importantly to start the Mentoring Project in efforts to connect fatherless boys with good male role-models in hopes of changing their lives.  In this effort, Miller has found himself in the midst of a great story and the reader, myself included, is left wondering what our stories might look like.

            This challenge to live a better story is the reward of this book.  I felt a renewed passion to live, to fight for goodness and beauty, to see myself and my story in the context of the greatest story ever told, the gospel.  I found it difficult to read of the spiritual awakening of another and not hunger for that same awakening.  I too wanted to do the things I always dreamed of but the practicality of life choked to death.  But like Miller, I wanted my story to be more than climbing mountains, even though that offers a wonderful backdrop to our stories. I wanted to bring goodness to my community, to the world.  The way I see this unfolding in my life is multi-faceted.  I want to plant a church and see the broken find wholeness in Christ.  I want to labor in the effort of seeing my daughter grow into a woman of God, fully loved.  I want to provide wheel-chair ramps for the disadvantaged and disabled people of the Denver metro area.  I want to live a good story.  Our stories have only begun, especially if we believe in eternity.  But we only have a short time here on earth to make something beautiful, to honor God, to live good stories.  So like Miller, we must ask ourselves, "what do we want? What conflict am I willing to overcome to get it?"  And when we answer these honestly, we can then begin the quest of truly living.