A critical issue with which many people struggle today is the question, “Who is my Lord?” We live in a time of creeping idolatry in which we are asked to give our praise and loyalty to a variety of forces in our world.
One of the things that distinguished the Jews from their surrounding culture when they lived in exile was their practice of the Sabbath. Unlike their counterparts, they stepped aside from the practical aspects of life one day a week to focus on the spiritual and the eternal. In doing so they reminded themselves who and whose they were.
They also were able to view their lives from an alternate perspective from that which attempted to control their lives on the other days of the week. Each time we offer prayer or read Scripture in a public worship service, we invite people to enter into a countercultural world that challenges the way in which our society lives. We remind ourselves that the values that our society offers are not the only values available to us by which to live. We have a choice and in that choice we are also making a choice as to the lords that will direct our lives.
