Our lives no longer revolve around the feasts,
festivals and holy-days of faith but dance the beat of business, commerce. In other words, our calendars declare us to
be secular.
Not all of us.
Some of us come and go according to the seasons
of the earth. Historically, that’s the
definition of pagan.
Yup, we are for all intents and purposes a
secular and pagan people. Certainly if
you look at what governs our calendars.
Now take a quick look at the scriptures. Anywhere you look in scripture the people of
God have allowed the stories, the celebrations, the festivals and feasts which
reminded of God’s faithfulness and goodness to dictate the rhythm of their
lives. In other words, faithful
calendars have traditionally been governed by faith…
…until now…
Now we “know better”…
When did it become a bad thing for families to
adhere to a ritual? How did we get to
the point where regular attendance at the Corporate Gathering of the Body of
Christ became optional? How did we
become so holy that we no longer need the regular reminders of a sacred rhythm? How is it that believers all over the world
continue to risk and give their lives for something that we look upon with such
disdain?
How is it that pastors and church leaders have
become used to… comfortable with… accepting of, believers who attend church
once or twice a month? When did “freedom
in Christ” become defined as freedom from obedience? …freedom from discipleship? …freedom from commitment?
True freedom in Christ does not allow
you and I to abandon God’s rhythm in our lives…
True freedom dictates that we follow
it…
In Deuteronomy 5:15 God calls His
people to the rhythm of Sabbath because they were
free. “When you were slaves,” God reminds
them, “you did not have the choice to Sabbath!
You were slaves to a pagan master and forced to adhere to a pagan rhythm. Now that you are free… you are free to
Sabbath and in ‘Sabbath-ing’ you will remember Who it is that set you free in
the first place”
In Deuteronomy 15:15 God reminds
His people that generosity is not legalism or bondage… it too the result of
freedom. As is charity (Deuteronomy
24.18, 22).
Obedience is the privilege of
those once bound - now free.
In Jeremiah 16 God declares a
coming punishment on as a result of their disobedience. Through the prophet He declares that without
repentance they will be driven from the land of promise and forced to serve a
pagan rhythm.
So I have to ask it…
Is our perpetual busy-ness a mark
of our disobedience… or of God’s punishment?
…just sayin’
