Friday, July 17, 2020A Taste of God’s Goodness“While Christians around the world gather to celebrate Sunday, and they do this in a myriad of ways, and even while some bemoan the demise of Sunday laws reminiscent of the Constantinian era, there is no doubt that there is a renewal of Sunday–of Sunday as the day […]

Thursday, July 16, 2020Taking Sunday Seriously ​The Westminster Confession was a document written by church leaders in the year 1647 (a long time ago!). There is a shorter version of it called the “Shorter Catechism” which summarizes the Confession for people. Like the Heidelberg Catechism, it tries to explain what sabbath really means. It offers […]

Wednesday, July 15, 2020Rest that Transforms John Calvin taught that observing Sunday as the Lord’s day helps us keep in mind that we don’t need to center our lives around meeting our own needs. Rather, resting honors the One who consistently meets our needs, no matter what. Sometimes we can get caught up in thinking […]

Tuesday, July 14, 2020Reforming Praise “Right preachers should diligently and faithfully teach only the Word of God and seek only his honour and praise.”  Martin Luther, in his final sermon, on February 15, 1546 Martin Luther was a guy who wanted to see the Church do better. He loved the Church so much that he […]

Monday, July 13, 2020What is Sunday? ​“The first day of the week–the Lord’s day–was not to be a day of particular sobriety or austerity. On the contrary, this was a day of joy and celebration, connected first of all with the resurrection of Jesus, but also with the beginning of the new creation on the […]

Friday, July 10, 2020Fellowship Bonhoeffer pointed to three ways that people who follow Jesus have (and will have) fellowship: Fellowship in relationship with one another every day. Fellowship at the Lord’s Supper in worship. Fellowship in the Kingdom of God after Jesus returns. Fellowship is festive in nature. It means that we share in the […]

Thursday, July 9, 2020Singing a New Song Some of us are not musical. Maybe we can’t hold a tune. Maybe we can’t play an instrument. Maybe we just don’t enjoy listening to music. But Bonhoeffer pointed out that singing in the community of God is not about being musical. It is a spiritual practice. Singing […]

Wednesday, July 8, 2020God Revealed Through the Word The Bible is a gift that God gave to reveal who God is to us. Through the stories in the Bible, we are torn away from the things that occupy our time, and set down in the midst of the holy history of God on earth (p.53). […]

Tuesday, July 7, 2020Solace in the Psalms Dietrich Bonhoeffer pointed out that the Psalter (the collection of Psalms) occupies a unique place in the Bible. The Psalter is filled with prayers and songs that express a wide array of emotion–faith and frustration, joy and jealousy, peace and petulance (ask your mom or dad what that […]

Monday, July 6, 2020A Day With God “At the threshold of a new day stands the Lord who made it.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer called followers of Jesus to look at the beginning of each new day with the hope that God gives us. Our anxieties and concerns of the night before can be set aside. The distractions that […]