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Between Babel and Beast
(America and Empires in Biblical Perspective)
The Glory of Kings: A Festschrift for James B. Jordan
Fyodor Dostoevsky
(Christian Encounters Series)
Athanasius
(Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality)
The Four: A Survey of the Gospels
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John
Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
Exodus 23:14: Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me.
Israel’s festival calendar was organized around three feasts. In the spring, Passover celebrated the deliverance from Egypt. In the third month, they kept Pentecost, marking the firstfruits of harvest and the giving of the law. In seventh month, Booths or Ingathering commemorated Israel’s journey in the wilderness and anticipated a final harvest.
Each year, Israel retraced her past, her journey from bondage in Egypt to abundant life in the land. Each year, Israel looked to her future, when all the children of God would be harvested and gathered into Yahweh’s storehouses.
We observe a liturgical calendar because Israel did.
We do not celebrate the same feasts, but we too celebrate the great events of our redemption each year: The new Passover of Easter, the greater Pentecost when the Spirit writes the law on our hearts, the time of mission and harvest during Trinity season.
But the feasts of Israel also point to the single feast of the Lord’s Supper. Because the end has come in Jesus, all the feasts are collapsed into this meal. This is our Passover, and our weekly Pentecost. Though we are not yet at the end, we enjoy the bread and wine of the final harvest now.
And we do it every week. We don’t have to wait months and months before returning to the presence of God. As Pastor Sumper has emphasized, we draw near, nearer than Israel ever did, more frequently than Israel did, because we draw near in our Lord Jesus.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at 7:24 am
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