Luke 13:10-17

 This passage is truly thought provoking and humbling as we read through it and examine our heart according to the Lord's words. Do we delight in the Sabbath? Do we find ourselves prioritizing our work and efforts and energies that on Sundays we can come and rest and find comfort at the feet of Jesus?

This is quite hard in our American culture. We are a busy lot. Work, school sports have all but eradicated our day of rest, and actually turn Sundays into a horrific chore. "I get up early every day of the week, Sunday is my chance to sleep in." Or, I can watch church online, or God knows my heart. What would Jesus say to us if he encountered us on the Lord's day? Would he be tender or would we be rebuked.

It is so easy to think about all of this backwards; because essentially through both the American church and the American way we have been conditioned to do so. Even Sundays the church and her programs have laid a crushing burden on people who are already weary. We rip apart families, separating them room by room, musical taste by musical taste, age by age during the main portion of our corporate worship all to ensure a good "Jesus experience." We have modeled the bride after the American Dream Date rather than the Bride of Christ that she is! How can we return her beauty and grace and dignity? How can we delight in Christ more?

Sinclair Ferguson shares in this study, "Sin is always inconsistent, and pharisees exist all over the place. There is the religious variety...And there is the secular variety ( our media lamenting about the death of a pregnant whale and her unborn calf due to plastic pollution on one day while passionately advocating abortion rights the next). Sinners can never be consistent. But saints are called to precisely that. And one area that we should seek to be consistent is in '[calling] the Sabbath a delight' (Is 55:13)"

How can we spend the rest of the week to make sure that the Sabbath becomes our delight? Are there things that need to be removed to our schedule? Or perhaps even added? Do we bring our leftovers or our longing hearts to church? Do we eagerly anticipate the Word being taught or do we constantly look at our watches or volunteer in nursery one more time so we do not need to be in service? May we find peace and joy in the Lord of the Sabbath this week.