Tag: spiritual disciplines

Preparing for Sunday on Saturday

Posted on August 2, 2008

In preparing for sabbath, what Christians designate as Sunday, I have often struggled to know how to best “prepare” on Saturday night. I have often discovered that late night and/or intense entertainment late Saturday results in disconnected worship and community on Sunday mornings. And, as a pastor, prayer is an important part of pre-Sunday preparation. There’s certainly no one-size-fits-all here, but the principle of sabbath preparation is vastly overlooked by most Christians. We would do well to explore the principle, to reflect on our practice, and to consider our subsequent Sunday posture. Is it one of anticipation, of communing, learning, repenting, delighting, growing, loving, and serving? Or is it just one more event on the calendar with a twist of the spiritual?

Laura Winner reflects on similar things:

Of course, “Sabbath” observance begins on Friday evening. So does, or should, “Sunday” celebration begin on Saturday evening? I remember a family from my childhood who had been missionaries in Sudan who followed this practice. Even as a kid I can recall being both puzzled by and attracted to such a rhythm to life (though I didn’t call it that then, of course!). HT:JT

What would sabbath be like if we started with just a ten minute rhythm? A few minutes of prayer and Scripture meditation before we went to sleep? What if we aimed those reflections on considering Jesus, talking to him, loving him? Would Sundays look any different?

Legalism, Cheap Peace or God-honoring Accountability?

Posted on January 14, 2008

This time of year Christians often redouble their spiritual efforts in resolve to be more holy. Some will think about or even venture to join an accountability group. Originally appearing in the Journal of Biblical Counseling, this article seeks to correct misguided approaches to accountability, deconstructing legalism and cheap peace, while advocating a gospel-centered, God-honoring approach to accountable relationships. An excerpt:

Put ten bucks in the jar to keep from sinning.

When I recall some of the popular discipleship disciplines I advocated in college, I shudder. Did I really think that they were biblical or even helpful? When one of my disciples caved into a particular sin he was “being held accountable for,” he had to put ten bucks in the jar. Sounds awfully close to an indulgence doesn’t it? Yet, in
our aim to promote “holiness,” ten bucks was the penalty for pandering to sin. We thought this approach to accountability was especially good for fighting sexual sin. If one of the guys I discipled had a particularly lustful week, (viewing inappropriate TV, reading pornographic material, or masturbating), he had to “pay the price.”

When we met for our weekly accountability meeting, I would ask a range of questions designed to promote accountability, but as I recall, we only assigned sexual sins the steep penalty of ten dollars. “Other sins” were considered less grievous. Sometimes the accumulated cash was put in the offering, other times it was used to celebrate “not sinning” over dinner. Somehow, this practice was supposed to motivate holy living, but instead, it fostered a legalism that undercut a more biblical approach to fighting sin.