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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 35:2: For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to Yahweh.
As Pastor Sumpter pointed out, the instructions for building the tabernacle end with a Sabbath command and the narrative about building begins with a Sabbath command, before it goes on to describe the labor of Israel on the house of God.
In between the covenant is broken and renewed. The passage shows that the old covenant moves toward rest, while the new begins from rest. Israel’s Sabbath was the seventh day, but the Lord’s day is the first.
In the new covenant, the Lord’s day sets the pattern for our week of labor. That is, it ought to. Does it?
Do you work from a foundation of confidence in God’s gifts, or do you work as if it all depends on you and you’ll never catch up?
Do you go from the rest of the Lord’s day to resume a frantic pace, always on call, checking your phone every five minutes, busy, busy, busy? Do you even wait for church to end before you check your phone? Do your labor-saving devices make you busier? Do you find yourself doing three, five, eight things at once, none of them attentively?
The world around us is chaos and cacophony, but we are called to better things. The Christian week is a melody. Rest is the tonic, Eucharistic joy the key signature. When your work sings songs of Sabbath, you become a witness to the gift of rest that is in Jesus.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, September 9, 2012 at 6:43 am
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