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A Sabbath Day's Journey

By: Rev. Paul Landgraf
What is a Sabbath day's journey? First of all, it is a Jewish expression. We measure distances in meters or yards. The Jews had a certain distance that they could walk on Saturday before it would be considered work. So their synagogues that they went to on Saturday could not be very far away. The word appears only in Acts 1:12 and indicates a distance of about three-quarters of a mile.

With that in mind, I think it is important to remember the origins of Christianity. Just because we have an Old Testament, it does not mean that we call it the 'Outdated Testament'. Much of the Old Testament has a literary structure that we are not aware of because of our modern emphasis on chapter and verse divisions. Within many of these blogs, I try to get the reader to see a bigger picture, a larger perspective that often includes the Old Testament and the environment that was present when the New Testament was seeing the Light of the day.

Second, a Sabbath day's journey is intentionally short. These 'journeys' with a text, almost always one of the three readings for that Sunday, are deliberately brief discussions. This blog was never designed to be a comprehensive look at any text. Sometimes a specific word is studied in detail. But, as a whole, a blog entry, by itself, is meant to be quite brief.

Finally, since the term 'Sabbath day's journey' appears in Acts, it is meant to appeal to a wide variety of people. This blog is meant for those who cannot come on Sunday mornings. And it is also for those who do come on Sunday mornings but would also like a further study of the text. It is also for those who live somewhere else in the world (besides Drake and Freedom, Missouri, USA) and would simply like a further study of the text. It was meant to get these different groups of people to start thinking about the biblical texts. Part of the reason for this blog is that I am not able to have a bible class on Sunday mornings with either congregation, and so, to have a blog like this seemed like a good idea. I hope it is helpful for you, in whatever situation you may be.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. And thank you for taking the time to read this!

December 1st, 2018

12/1/2018

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The Gospel text for this Sunday, the first Sunday in Advent, is the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem [from the perspective of the Gospel according to Luke], and I certainly appreciate that focus at the beginning of the church year. Christmas has not yet happened, and we have not yet looked at Jesus’ birth, but he is already close to dying on the cross. The thing to remember is that this is not a chronological study. This is a salvation story.

The gospel accounts do not simply give us more information regarding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that we find to be so important in the Epistles. Their structure follows the structure of the four living creatures that are part of God’s throne. We are within a reality of worship.

I would like to be clear in saying that the use of the word ‘story’ above does NOT mean that these events were manufactured and had no basis in reality. Jesus did miracles, and miracles go against reality, and God can do that if he wants.

The reality of this world is also that we live in a sinful condition.

This week at church starts a four-week series on the Small Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther. This week we will be looking at the Ten Commandments. It is a good thing to go over on a regular basis.

The following is at the end of Luther’s suggestion for beginning the day—with the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer—‘Then go to your work joyfully, singing a hymn, like that of the Ten Commandments, or whatever your devotion may suggest.’
​

That is not a bad idea. And on this Sunday, while I am working, I will be singing that hymn.
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