Sabbath This Weekend

I'm gearing up to kick off our new Ritual series at NCC this weekend, and I'm going to tackle the ritual of Sabbath. We preach best that which we most need to learn, right? Hopefully, it will be a fresh look at an ancient ritual. We'll explore some myths and examine some of the reasons we have such a hard time with this ritual of grace. Just like the Pharisees, we have a tendency to want to box it up and organize it in an attempt to understand it and practice it, but we wind up destroying it in the process. We don't celebrate the grace that is extended to us in it.

We will explore how the idea of Sabbath evolved over the course of Scripture. Here is just one example. As you might know, the Ten Commandments are given twice in the Old Testament-- once in Exodus and once in Deuteronomy. Take a look at the Sabbath commandment in each:

Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy."

Deuteronomy 5:12-15
"Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.

The instructions for following the Sabbath remained the same, but the reason for practicing it changed. Interesting, huh?