Sacred Roots Workshop

108 Sacred Roots Workshop: Retr ieving the Great Tradi t ion in the Contemporary Church

learned of Christian practice, Pliny writes that “on an appointed day they had been accustomed to meet before daybreak, and to recite a hymn antiphonally to Christ, as a god.” ~ Ibid . p. 23.

A. The origins of Christian forms of worship: the rhythm of God’s appointed times in the Old Testament

1. God demanded a pattern of recurring observances , based on the calendar of Jewish time.

2. Morning and evening sacrifices as prescribed by the Lord under the Law, cf. Exod. 29.38-42; Num. 28.3-8; 1 Kings 18.29; 2 Chron. 2.4; 31.3; Ezek. 46.13-15; Dan. 9.21; Amos 4.4

3. The seventh day of every week : the Sabbath, where work was forbidden, Exod. 20.8-11; Deut. 5.12-15

4. On the new moon (i.e., the first day of each lunar month), special sacrifices were to be given, Num. 28.11-15; cf. Ezek. 46.6-7.

a. They were feast days, 1 Sam. 20.5, 18, 24, 27.

b. They were days of rest, Amos 8.5.

c. The Feast of Trumpets, in the seventh month, was the most significant new moon festival, Lev. 23.23-25; Num. 29.1-6.

5. The three annual pilgrimage festivals required all Israelite males to come to the sanctuary, Exod. 23.14, 17; 34.23; Deut. 16.16-17.