Saying No the the Culture of Now Part 1

When asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law,” Jesus replied, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" Of the ten commandments, it can be said the first three pertain to our relationship with God (Love the Lord your God), and the last six pertain to our relationship with our neighbor (Love your neighbor). Among these nine commands (1-3, and 5-10) stands the commandment to keep Sabbath (Exodus 20: 8-11). Sabbath is the bridge in our relationship with God to one another! “The God of Exodus,” as Walter Brueggemann call YHWH his book: “SABBATH AS RESISTANCE: Saying No to the Culture of Now,” contrasts the gods of culture—epitomized in Pharaoh—which demand relentless production, utilitarian effort, and endless productivity, with God, who calls the Israelites out of Pharaoh’s Egypt to a new land, and a new relationship with a “God of mercy, steadfast love, and faithfulness who is committed to covenantal relationships.”