Above: Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Sautee, Georgia, February 8, 2015
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
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The Collect:
O God, mighty and immortal, you know that as fragile creatures
surrounded by great dangers, we cannot by ourselves stand upright.
Give us strength of mind and body, so that even when we suffer
because of human sin, we may rise victorious through
your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 46
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The Assigned Readings:
Numbers 15:32-41 (Thursday)
2 Chronicles 8:12-15 (Friday)
Nehemiah 13:15-22 (Saturday)
Psalm 103:1-8 (All Days)
Hebrews 12:13-17 (Thursday)
Acts 17:1-9 (Friday)
Luke 6:1-5 (Saturday)
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Bless Yahweh, my soul,
from the depths of my being, his holy name;
bless Yahweh, my soul,
never forget all his acts of kindness.
–Psalm 103:1-2, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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Keeping divine commandments is one way of manifesting love for God. Observing the Sabbath is the dominant issue in these days’ readings, so I focus on it.
Sabbath is an indication of freedom. When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they had no days off. Since they were free, however, they had a day off each week. Violating it carried a death sentence, though. (That was unduly harsh!) The reality of the death penalty for that infraction indicated the importance of keeping Sabbath in that culture, which understood that individual violations led to communal punishment.
Our Lord and Savior’s Apostles plucked grain with their hands one Sabbath. This was permissible in Deuteronomy 23:25 yet not in Exodus 34:21. Jesus preferred to cite the former, but his accusers favored the latter. He also understood the precedent David set in 1 Samuel 21:1-6, in which, in an emergency, he and his soldiers consumed holy bread. Jesus grasped a basic reality–people need the Sabbath, but there should be flexibility regarding the rules of the day. In this respect he fit in nicely with his Jewish culture, with its various understandings of Sabbath laws.
Life brings too many hardships to endure (often for the sake of righteousness). Fewer of them would exist if more people would be content to mind their own business. Why, then, do so many observant people add to this by turning a day of freedom into one of misery? I suppose that legalism brings joy to certain individuals.
May we keep the Sabbath as a day of rest, relaxation, and freedom, not legalism and misery. If we must work on our usual Sabbath, may we keep Sabbath another day.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 24, 2016 COMMON ERA
MAUNDY THURSDAY
THE FEAST OF THOMAS ATTWOOD, “FATHER OF MODERN CHURCH MUSIC”
THE FEAST OF SAINT DIDACUS JOSEPH OF CADIZ, CAPUCHIN FRIAR
THE FEAST OF OSCAR ROMERO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR
THE FEAST OF PAUL COUTURIER, ECUMENIST
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Adapted from this post:
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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