Faith,

I want to do two things here. First, I have a quick question: Which of the Ten Commandments should we erase from the list? Let’s take a look:

  • No other gods? Absolutely necessary.

  • No idols? Gotta have that one.

  • No misusing God’s name? Hard to navigate in our culture, but we definitely can’t drop it.

  • Honor the Sabbath? Hmmm… let’s circle back to that one.

  • Honor your father and mother? That’s the bedrock of society. Keep it.

  • No murder? Well, duh!

  • No adultery? Our culture struggles big time here, but it stays.

  • No stealing? Duh!

  • No lying? Double-duh!

  • No coveting? Thank you, Lord, for the reality check!

So, we’re agreed: God gave them out of His love, we love God, and we are grateful for all ten. Except, there’s one that we tend to act like doesn’t apply to us. Look again at number four: Honor the Sabbath.

What’s the deal? How come good Christians all around the world live as if this one is optional? Seriously. When was the last time you honestly sought to cease from your work for one full day a week and make that day holy to God?

I’m guilty, too, friends. I am a notorious Sabbath-breaker.

So, let’s do this: Let’s all gather at Faith Covenant Church this Sunday to experience a worship service where God invites us to cease from our work, redeem the time, and offer the day as a holy act of worship.

Secondly, I want to remind us to praise God for the profound significance of Juneteenth this Friday, June 19th. Juneteenth marks the date in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States finally received word of their emancipation—more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. While many of us can easily miss the significance of Juneteenth, most of our African American brothers and sisters do not. One of the things we’ll talk about once we get to the Sixth Commandment: Do not murder, is that God creates every human being from womb to tomb with inherent human dignity. The 10 Commandments themselves are built on God’s value of human life.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, and it is God’s will that no human being should ever be enslaved. He has made each of us in His image, and the Church celebrates the ongoing journey toward His justice.

In Christ alone,

Pastor Brad

P. S.

At our Faith Annual Meeting last Sunday, the congregation approved our new budget for the new fiscal year starting July 1 and voted in our latest Leadership Team members. If you didn’t get a chance to read our Annual Report, you can read it by clicking here or stop by the Information Desk to pick up a copy.

 

Note: Due to the nature of the service this week, there will be no message notes.

 

Here are some deeper-dive videos for the journey, plus a bonus song from one of the greatest female gospel singers of the civil rights era.

Remember the Sabbath (5:30)

Sabbath: Learn why the number 7 is used so much in the Bible (5:26)

Eyes on the Prize–Mavis Staples (4:06)