Marking Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year

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Mark i ng T ime : Formi ng Sp i r i tua l i t y through the Chr i s t i an Year

your God and worship before the Lord your God. [11] And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.”

d. Tradition in worship and remembrance to act as both sign and memorial to encourage God’s Word in the community, Exod. 13.8-9 (ESV) – You shall tell your son on that day, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” [9] And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. e. The development of traditions among the people of God, 2 Chron. 35.25 (NIV) – Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the men and women singers commemorate Josiah in the laments. These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments (cf. Gen. 32.32; Judg. 11.38-40).

B. Godly tradition edifies, grounds , and reinforces the truth and story of God in our lives. However, because of sinful habits and dead orthodoxy, not all tradition is godly.

1. Any specific tradition must be judged by its faithfulness to the Word of God and its usefulness in helping people maintain obedience to Christ’s example and teaching.

2. In the Gospels, Jesus frequently rebukes the Pharisees for establishing traditions that nullify rather than uphold God’s commands, Mark 7.8 (ESV) – You leave the com mandment of God and hold to the tradition of men (cf. Matt. 15.2-6; Mark 7.13).